Engineering Department

Guatemala City, June 3, 2005
Dr. Oscar Arturo Gramajo Mondal
Overseer, Ferrocarriles de Guatemala
By Hand
Dr. Gramajo:
This is to advise you that: On the 1st of this month, the following went to railroad mile 251/5,
kilometer 67.5 of the old highway from Escuintla to Puerto San José: MAYRA ARREAGA, In charge of
Attention to Railroad Track Settlers, ARNOLDO MENDIZABAL, Track supervisor, JULIAN
VILLATORO, Driver, and yours truly, MIGUEL ANGEL SAMAYOA, Chief of Engineering, all
Ferrocarriles de Guatemala employees. At Masagua, Escuintla, to support the clearing of plants sown
along the right-of-way owned by FEGUA and encroached upon by shantytowns.
On previous occasions Empresa Eléctrica has asked for FEGUA’s help in supporting
personnel in order to avoid conflicts with the people who have settled on the right-of-way.
its
For this purpose, the committee appointed by FEGUA supported Empresa Eléctrica de
Guatemala, Human Rights Representative [Translator: perhaps the Ombudsman], and FERROVIAS,
with security provided by the National Civil Police of Escuintla.
Specifically, for Empresa Eléctrica de Guatemala, Agronomist Byron Mayen of the Line
Maintenance Unit; Jean Malamud, FERROVIAS representative; Ludwin Jiménez, Human Rights
Representative, headquartered in Escuintla; Officer Efraín Aquino of the National Police of Escuintla in
the command of more than twenty National Civil Police officers.
The people who had settled on the right-of-way were alerted to
the danger of living and cultivating [crops] under the high
voltage power line. In a single day we were able to cover the
stretch from Mixtán, Masagua, Escuintla to Arizona in the Port
of San José without incident, unlike what happened on October
28, 2004, at the request of the Supreme Electoral Court and
Empresa Eléctrica de Guatemala, when people who had settled
on the right-of-way tried to assault the committee with machetes,
subsequent to which the FERROVIAS delegates, Ricardo Girón
and Jean Malamud, withdrew, after drawing up a notarial record
stating that there was no opposition from the settlers.
October 2004
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Engineering Department
9a. Avenida 18-03, Zona 1 Guatemala Central America – Tel.: (502) 253-6-726
E-mail: [email protected]
On this occasion, the FERROVIAS representative, Jean Malamud, withdrew at 11:45
a.m. So it was decided that FEGUA would support [Translator: or “accompany”] the Committee
until the conclusion of the maintenance work, with support from Human Rights, PNC, and a
team of FEGUA workers, as shown in the photographs that follow.
“El Coquito” Tourist center
High voltage lines
Vegetation in contact with
high voltage lines at Mile
251/5
Fruit trees on the right-of-way that constitute a hazard because of the electric arc they
could generate.
Mixtán – Santa María. In this sector they removed two “This Land for Sale” signs (on the rightof-way)
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Engineering Department
9a. Avenida 18-03, Zona 1 Guatemala Central America – Tel.: (502) 253-6-726
E-mail: [email protected]
Some residents who have been contacted for help in preventing the establishment of
shantytowns have landscaped and protected the railroad right-of-way and said that, when the
railroad service is re-established, they [will] have no problem in removing their gardens, and
they allowed access to their homes for pruning of the vegetation that could, at some point, affect
the power lines.
Mile 252
When the pruning and cleanup work was being done, we determined that new formal
structures, including a well and water tank on the right-of-way, were being started. We advised
Jean Malamud of FERROVIAS, who confirmed it.
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Engineering Department
9a. Avenida 18-03, Zona 1 Guatemala Central America – Tel.: (502) 253-6-726
E-mail: [email protected]
With respect to the railroad infrastructure, we established that it continues to be
dismantled, and we made a verbal recommendation to Jean Malamud of FERROVIAS that the
rails that 6 rails that [sic] piled at the entrance to the “El Coquito” tourist center be transferred to
the Escuintla Railroad Station for safekeeping.
At the Santa María Station yards, specifically at Mile 252/3, where the water pump and
storage tank are found, there is a new informal home. When we asked for information from the
resident, he did not give his name and he said that the Mayor of Masagua had authorized it.
Verbal recommendations were made to perform cleanup and clearing work and to
periodically communicate to make the settlers and residents of the railroad track aware of the
danger of living and cultivating [crops] under the high voltage lines.
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Engineering Department
9a. Avenida 18-03, Zona 1 Guatemala Central America – Tel.: (502) 253-6-726
E-mail: [email protected]
This Department believes it is advisable to ask FERROVIAS to provide information
about the Municipal authorization of Masagua to build informal homes in the Santa Maria
Station and yards, given that this can encourage more encroachment, and to fence off said station
in order to protect the property, owned by Ferrocarriles de Guatemala, for which FERROVIAS is
responsible.
With nothing further, respectfully,
[signature]
Eng. Miguel Ángel Samayoa M.
Chief, Engineering Department
[stamp:] Ferrocarriles de
Guatemala / FEGUA /
Engineering Department
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Engineering Department
9a. Avenida 18-03, Zona 1 Guatemala Central America – Tel.: (502) 253-6-726
E-mail: [email protected]