Lisbon City Council will put an additional €6.6 million into the overall World Youth Day (WYD) budget, bringing the total expenditure for the event to €40.2 million, €5.2 million more than forecast, according to calculations of Dinheiro Vivo based on the most recent data sent by the municipality yesterday. It should be remembered that in January this year, the mayor of the municipality, Carlos Moedas, had guaranteed that the cost of WYD would not exceed 35 million euros: “When I arrived [à Câmara de Lisboa], my concern was to limit costs. I was the one who said that the Chamber would not spend more than 35 million euros.”
At the moment, and according to the information available on the WYD Lisbon website, from the budget of 35 million, the municipality already has an approved expenditure of about 33.6 million euros. If we now add the 6.6 million from the city budget, the total expenditure will already exceed 40 million euros.
This extra budget is intended to improve urban hygiene in the city. It concerns “an investment from the common budget of the autarchy, extra budget WJD, and which is located in the city”, according to the municipality’s memorandum. The municipality was also questioned by Dinheiro Vivo about the concrete application of the 6.6 million euros for strengthening the municipality’s urban hygiene equipment, but did not receive an answer until the end of the edition.
In addition to the additional investment from the municipal treasury, another 6.8 million euros from the WYD budget will go to security and beds in schools for pilgrims, specifically for the event that will take place from August 1 to 6, which will include the presence of Pope Francis. characteristics.
The municipal police will receive 514 additional officers, at a cost of 1.1 million euros, and the Fire Sappers Regiment of the capital will receive 1,100 employees and 160 vehicles, with the reinforcement of the device rising to 150 men per day. According to information from Lisbon, “investments in equipment and fire engines should amount to EUR 5.2 million”. As for the municipal Civil Protection, more than 60 elements will be assigned to WYD and 500,000 euros will be spent on equipment.
The municipality is also working to increase the supply of beds in schools, with 115 facilities that will be able to accommodate 42,000 pilgrims. 400 drinking water access points will also be created on public roads in the city of Lisbon. “The already existing 205 drinking fountains, whose maintenance is assured, will be joined by 200 new points under construction,” the chamber’s document reads.
As for the 40 public toilets in the city, the management of which is the responsibility of the parishes and concessionaires, the municipality commits to “ensuring that all toilets made available and identified for use are in good working order”, according to information sent to Dinheiro. vivo. In addition, “the Lisbon City Council is repairing the sanitation facilities in Parque Eduardo VII, which are equally essential, as they are located in the area where WYD will take place on August 1, 3 and 4,” the same document said.
The Carlos Lopes Pavilion will house the National Tactical Command Post, the Lisbon Municipal Operational Coordination Center and the Press Center. “About 300 young Lisbon ambassadors will support the city’s residents and visitors during the days when the WYD takes place,” adds the municipality.
Recommended telecommuting
The Confederation of Trades and Services of Portugal (CCP) is advising businesses in the Lisbon region to implement the telecommuting regime between July 31 and August 4 due to WYD, according to a statement sent yesterday. The president of the CCP, João Vieira Lopes, explains that the confederation decided to “recommend the teleworking regime during the days of the WYD, so that companies in the services and trade sectors can better adapt their activities to the existing restrictions”. Yet Vieira Lopes acknowledges that in many areas, such as food trading, catering, road transport of passengers and goods, “personal work will be decisive for the success of WYD”. Therefore, in these cases “it will be necessary to guarantee the conditions of operation and circulation, duly combined with the official authorities,” he warns.
CCP joins the Confederação Empresarial de Portugal (CIP), which had already recommended its employees to start working remotely. In early July, CIP President Armindo Monteiro revealed that he had made a proposal to his employees that “recommends teleworking during World Youth Day”.
The Chamber of Lisbon will grant leave to employees in the municipality on August 4 to participate in the WYD, and recommends telecommuting from July 31 to August 3. The government also decided to grant a postponement on 3 and 4 August to civil servants working in Lisbon.
Salomé Pinto is a journalist for Dinheiro Vivo
Source: DN
