The silence of COVID-19, in complicity with torrential downpours, seriously infected the El Uvero winery, located in the neighborhood of the same name, in the city of Puerto Padre. With an initial check-up reserved, dissimilar factors conditioned, in the worst case, the health of a building with as many memories as years have its walls.
Puerto Padre, Las Tunas - The floor and counter were the main damaged areas; however, the evils fell from above, after the wooden support succumbed to the weight of the roof. The passage of the god Cronos did its thing, more when the systematic repairs were left in the bank of oblivion until the arrival of the humidity, which complicated the "critical picture" and deported the entity to the "operating" room.
"The events occurred in August 2021. Being the pandemic period, the Ramón López Peña school arranged the premises for the functions of the sale of the basic basket for three months, and then it was located in another unit, specifically, the '25 de Diciembre', until the present time," commented to 26 Natividad Cordero González, director of Internal Commerce in the territory.
The delegate of Constituency 18, before the recent elections, Gumersindo González Fernández, was the voice of the population in all decisions aimed at achieving the most efficient treatment.
"The '25 de Diciembre' provides the service on a transitory basis. Two stalls have also been set up nearby to offer milk, meat, and bread so that people do not have to travel long distances," he reported.
Momentary facilities made patience the prevailing face. The days mutated into months, while 18 days went by in the various stages of construction. Justifications and real problems intertwine issues until they fall into a limbo where guilt wanders namelessly.
"At first the claim was great, no one wants to have a warehouse taken away, but the conditions it had forced to take action on the matter. The villagers have gained confidence because they are seeing the action, despite the deficit of materials that delays the processes somewhat, largely due to the passage of hurricane Ian through Pinar del Río. After all, a great number of resources are going there. Even so, they understand that we are going to give them an entity with better means and there is the will to do it by December 30," declared Osnay Avila Campo, the maximum authority of the Uvero base business unit (UEB), which gathers that unit and others of its kind according to the recent restructuring within the sector.
However, several unfulfilled promises weigh down the hope of ending 2022 on a good note. For this reason, Gumersindo echoes the locals by stressing "on several occasions, they have given dates for its completion, but none have been fulfilled. Finally, they proposed to achieve it in salute to the triumph of the Revolution.
"We hope that the Commerce Company will do everything possible and even the impossible since this would be one of the most important projects here, as it is the second largest store in the territory. In addition, the population of the demarcation is aged and it is difficult for them to move to the other side."
The nascent management of this UEB, just eight months ago, indicates the right steps since the budget behind the remodeling is covered by the organization's profits, with figures of around 64 thousand pesos, according to Ávila Campo. The project excites locals and strangers, and the benefits will go to sellers and consumers with a variety of proposals.
"From a warehouse, it will become a commercial complex with departments for industrial, gastronomy, and commerce, as well as an interior corridor and running water, that is to say, it will fulfill all the needs for the attention of the public."
The desperation to overcome the grievances implants a hard hand for those who suffer day by day with the "income" of the center, but at the same time, they offer a helping hand to contribute to the different tasks.
"There are many who accept the situation, given the difficulty to obtain materials due to the reality of the country, which makes it impossible to finish quickly. In general, the mood is calm, because they know the intention of the authorities to promote the repair, but they do demand answers at every moment," said González Fernández.
The availability of supplies will indicate the "discharge" before the closing of the calendar, of a store with an excessive stay in "intensive care". Meanwhile, the closest ones, under apparent calm, wait to find again within those walls the food sustenance of the households.
