Slow pace in start of work on the World Cup arena in Pernambuco

Even though the environmental license for the construction of the Arena Recife, which shall host some World Cup games, was granted back in July, the start of the construction work on the stadium is moving at a snail’s pace.

The current scene is that of very little action on the 270-hectare site where the development shall be constructed, in the city of São Lourenço da Mata, which is 19 km from downtown Recife. In addition, homesteaders are threatening to close the access to the construction site if the Government does not pay the compulsory purchases.

There is not even a sign to say that a World Cup arena shall be built on the site. Indeed, a work site is starting to be set up, but the office does not have an Internet connection or even a telephone. Containers installed in the area are used only as a cafeteria.

There are four tractors on the site. However, according to a security guard at the work site, the machines are still idle, because an archaeological survey is being conducted in the area, prior to the clearance of the work.

Odebrecht, which is the company responsible for the work, has said, through their Press Relations Division, that they are complying with the plan as established for the first phase of construction, with the commencement of topographical services, construction of road access to the location, implementation of a work site and also the provisional installation of electricity.

The construction company has informed that they have received partial authorization to carry out these activities and that the archaeological research is getting close to completion.

Until yesterday, however, Odebrecht had not yet informed the official schedule of this work. FIFA wants the stadium ready by December 2012. Recife has already failed to comply with three deadlines set by the international federation for the start of construction work on the Arena, the last having ended on 31 May.

Compulsory Purchases
Another obstacle that has got in the way of the construction of the Arena Recife are the homesteaders (posseiros) who remain on the site’s 50 hectares, where the stadium is to be implemented, who have not yet been paid off by the Government of Pernambuco. A resident on the site for seven years, José Vieira complains about the delay in receiving due compensation.

“The contract was signed almost two months ago and we have been made several promises about when the money shall be available. I shall not be leaving the area until they pay me”, he said.

The same complaint is also aired by local resident Edilson José dos Santos, who says that the Government has not kept its promise to pay compensation 48 hours after signing the contract. “Many people have demolished their houses but not yet been paid”, he says.

The State Housing and Works Company (Companhia Estadual de Habitação e Obras - Cehab) says that the payment of the compensation shall start on 15 September. “The homesteaders have signed the appraisal processes, which have now been sent to the Secretariat of Finance. The payments then started to be made, and this led to delays of tax nature”, says the Land Regularization Manager of this institution, João Paulo Oliveira.

According to Sehab, payment of compensation has been divided into two stages. In the first stage, 130 families received payment for the improvement and were subjected to compulsory purchase of their properties. In the second phase, compensation shall be paid to 194 more families, and 37 homesteaders have already received payment.

If the time frame as established by Cehab is not complied with, then the homesteaders threaten to stage a protest in front of the street providing access to the site of the World Cup arena.