Indigenous people from the Belo Monte Dam area block a stretch of BR-230 and ask for protection for villages in PA

170 protesters participated in the act. Photo: Promotion/PRF)

Malu Dacio – from Cenarium Magazine

MEDICILÂNDIA/PA – In the middle Xingu, approximately 170 indigenous people from six ethnic groups blocked traffic on the BR-230 (Transamazonian Highway) between the towns of Uruará and Medicilândia, in the southwest of Pará, during a demonstration on Tuesday, 15. The indigenous people are demanding an environmental plan for the villages that reside in the vicinity of the Belo Monte plant.

According to the Federal Highway Police (PRF), a team from the PRF Superintendence in Pará arrived at the site around 11:20 a.m. and there were negotiations throughout the day with some traffic releases. The road was freed at around 11:20am and was blocked again at 4pm.

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The blockade is located at km 786 in front of a Territorial Security Base of the Arara ethnic group and the congestion at the site reached 2km with total interdiction.

The protest began in the early morning, around 5am, and extended throughout the day. According to the PRF, until 5:30pm today, the highway remained impassable, but at 6:30pm it was freed exclusively for the passage of vehicles that were already on site. Afterwards, it was blocked again.

Environmental protection

Information obtained by CENARIUM MAGAZINE is that the protesters are asking for protection of the indigenous people of the Belo Monte Hydroelectric Plant region. There was a meeting scheduled with government agencies and the company Norte Energia, contested by the indigenous people, but it was canceled. The intention of the protesters is to maintain the blockade in order to recover the meeting.

The Federal Highway Police was on the scene, but the congestion reached the 2km mark. Photo: (Promotion/PRF)

The protesters are demanding compliance with the environmental basic plan conditions established for the construction of the Belo Monte hydroelectric plant which, according to the indigenous people, are not being met. Among the demands is the implementation of a village protection unit in the region of the plant.

Dialogue

In a statement, Norte Energia, a private company and concessionaire of the Belo Monte Hydroelectric Plant, said that so far it has not received any official information about claims or demands arising from the indigenous movement on the BR-230 highway, near Uruará.

“The company maintains a permanent, open and transparent dialogue with the Indigenous Peoples of the Middle Xingu, which occurs in a structured, respectful, inclusive and participatory manner through daily interactions maintained by the Communication Program and also through tripartite meetings, which involve the participation of indigenous representatives and the indigenous body for discussion and analysis of the actions under execution”, says an excerpt from the note.

Regarding the negotiations about the Territorial Protection Units, the company defended that of the 11 Territorial Protection Units (UPTs) foreseen in the Basic Environmental Plan, eight were installed and have been in operation since 2015.

The company also confirmed that three units are pending installation due to security issues of the indigenous lands themselves.

“Norte Energia and Funai have been dialoguing about a schedule for resuming the implementation of the UPTs,” the note adds. The text concludes by stating that Norte Energia maintains a permanent open dialogue with the Indigenous Peoples of the Middle Xingu, that it has made available a Communication Program and scheduled tripartite meetings with the participation of indigenous representatives and the indigenous body for discussion and analysis of the actions being carried out.

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