Zema criticized for recovering road in family stronghold – 06/23/2023 – Politics

The Government of Minas Gerais will invest R$ 41.7 million to renovate a road that connects Araxá (MG), the city where Romeu Zema (Novo) was born, to a farm belonging to the governor’s family in the city of Rifaina (SP), on the border between the two states.

The work was included in the main road recovery program in the state, Provias, which provides resources of around R$ 4 billion for 124 roads.

The decision of the government of Minas Gerais to carry out the work was published this Friday (23) by the newspaper O Globo and confirmed by Sheet.

Palácio Tiradentes states that the criteria adopted for carrying out the recovery of the highway were technical. The opposition to the governor in the state reacted to the realization of the work, including with memes.

“My ranch, my life” is the new social program of the governor of Minas”, said federal deputy Rogério Correia (PT).

The highway that reaches the family property is the MG-428, which runs from the BR-262 junction to Sacramento, on the border with São Paulo, a total of 107.7 kilometers, according to the public notice for the work, published on 29 April 2023.

The documentation for the public notice, published on the DER-MG website (Departamento de Estradas de Rodagem de Minas Gerais), shows that on June 6 the companies able to carry out the restoration were defined, in case of victory in the dispute.

Of the 7 that participated, 6 were qualified. There is still no decision on the winner.

Governor Zema was at the site, which on Google Maps appears as “Rancho Zema”, on New Year’s Eve 2020, returning to the site at Carnival of the same year.

The region has a strong sentimental appeal for the family. Domingos Zema, great-grandmother of the governor, migrated from Italy to the interior of São Paulo with his parents at the end of the 19th century and, in 1918, moved to Sacramento.

In the city, he worked as a bus driver on the line that connected the city to Araxá, where he moved two years later.

In 1923, Domingos Zema opened a car parts store. From then on, the family created a conglomerate of companies operating today in sectors such as home appliances retail.

In a note, the Government of Minas Gerais states that the decision-making of the current government is based solely on technical precepts. Tiradentes Palace did not respond to who exactly owns the property.

“Analyses carried out by the Department of Highways of Minas Gerais show that the MG-428 highway, which has not undergone robust interventions and improvements for decades, being the target only of stop-gap operations, was already an ‘urgent’ priority for investment in 2020”, says the government.

The note also states that the opinion of the DER states that there are cracks on the highway that weaken the coating and allow the entry of water.

“The cracking tends to increase in extent and severity until a possible eventual disintegration of the coating, which could cause the total interdiction of the highway, causing serious damage.”

Opposition

Criticism of the opposition to the governor also involved another program, “Minha Estrada, Minha Vida”, as published on social networks by the Bloco Democracia e Luta, which brings together state deputies opposed to the governor.

“While Minas Gerais’ highways remain precarious and without investment, Zema prioritizes resources for the road that leads to his family’s farm. There are 41 million for renovation. For the miners, nothing; for the governor and his friends: everything! That’s the logic of this mismanagement”, says a post from the block.

Another opponent, federal deputy Padre João (PT), recalled a recent statement by the governor. “Mineiro does not want to live at the expense of the state, said Zema. The state is only for him and for the rich”, he published.