The launch of road works in the Cité Keur Gorgui district did not take place yesterday. The police prevented this ceremony from taking place, which was to be chaired by the deposed mayor of Dakar, Barthélemy Dias.
By Justin GOMIS
Since his dismissal last Friday, Barthélemy Dias is no longer authorized to carry out an act falling within the prerogatives of mayor of the City of Dakar. The deposed mayor, who was to launch road paving work yesterday at the Cité Keur Gorgui, encountered the refusal of the police, who were deployed in the said area to prevent him from doing so.
“I called the police chief who clearly told me that the mayor would not be in compliance with the rules to be able to launch the work,” Alioune Tall informed the press. According to the mayor of the commune of Sicap-Mermoz, this work, which is part of the repair of the roads in the City of Dakar, is a response to grievances long expressed by the populations. “It’s an old complaint made by the people. What you see is a complaint made by the populations of Mermoz-Sacré Cœur. We all know today that the City of Keur Gorgui has become, by force of circumstances, a service hub. The City, in its enlightened vision, has launched a vast program to resurface all urban roads at the departmental level. It is the mayor of the City of Dakar himself who should launch this work for a total amount of 1.6 billion francs, in addition to the sanitation program. The real problem in the Cité Keur Gorgui is a sanitation problem. This structural problem had to be resolved first, before proceeding with the resurfacing of the urban roads. But unfortunately, today we saw the police who received firm instructions to prevent the mayor of Dakar from launching this work,” lamented Alioune Tall, who finds that Barthélemy Dias is still mayor of Dakar before the end of the appeal period. “The mayor of Dakar has been dismissed from office, but he has ten days to lodge an appeal. Until the moment I speak to you, he is still mayor of the City of Dakar. He was the one who was supposed to come and launch the work. He was asked to stay at home. They made the decision to say that it is not going to proceed with the launch. It is our most absolute role as mayor of the commune of Mermoz Sacré Cœur to launch the work. We wanted to inform you. The appeal is suspensive, which is why I told you that Mayor Barthélemy Dias is still mayor of the City of Dakar at the time I speak to you. He has ten days to lodge an appeal. He could come and launch the work. He is well aware of the issues of the day. It has always given itself the means to respond effectively and efficiently to the aspirations of the populations of Dakar. We are in this dynamic. We respect our justice. But you will see that Barthélemy is still mayor of Dakar as I speak to you,” he maintained.
In any case, the Cité Keur Gorgui reconnected yesterday with the presence of men in uniform, thus recalling the period of the political crisis which had finished shaking this locality in particular, and the capital in general. It is an impressive police device that has been deployed. Vans parked at the entrance to each road which leads to the Cité Keur Gorgui crossroads in order to spy on a possible arrival of Barthélemy Dias who was to launch the work on the road which leaves from the interchange at the roundabout of the Keur Gorgui City.
However, all arrangements were made by the Dakar town hall to ensure that this ceremony was a success. All that remained was to launch the work to get users out of the bumpy state of this road.
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