The interim executive director of the Instituto Nacional de Tránsito y Transporte Terrestre (Intrant) and director of the Sistema Nacional de Atención a Emergencias y Seguridad 9-1-1, colonel pilot, Randolfo Rijo Gómez,ERD, participated this Friday in the launching of the Operativo Altagraciano “Conciencia por la Vida 2024”, in charge of the Emergency Operations Center (COE), with the objective of promoting the security measures that will be carried out to make transit viable, strengthen road safety and help those in need, in view of the celebration of the Day of Our Lady of Altragracia and the massive mobilizations of parishioners to this province this January 20 and 21.
On behalf of both government entities, Rijo Gómez expressed his support and discussed the measures that Intrant and 9-1-1 will use for this purpose. “As this January 21 marks one of the country’s most important national holidays, we are making available all our capabilities to ensure that Dominicans can pay their tributes to our dear and beloved Virgen de la Altagracia, protector of the people, and that those who travel return to their homes safe, sound and sound.
In this regard, Rijo Gómez explained that “from Intrant we have issued a ban on the circulation of heavy vehicles in the National District, as well as the provinces of Santo Domingo, Monte Plata, Hato Mayor, San Pedro de Macorís, El Seibo, La Romana and La Altagracia, from this Saturday, January 20, from 2 pm until 12 midnight on Sunday 21, in order to ensure road safety and traffic flow”.
Rijo also made a specific call to respect the basic rules of road safety, as well as to avoid distractions at the wheel, to use helmets and not to drive under the influence of alcohol in order to prevent accidents.
Likewise, the public servant announced that “from 9-1-1 we have strengthened the response capacity of all our primary agencies, making special emphasis on the availability of resources that our dispatchers will have to respond to the alerts of help that could be presented by the high mobility of people, that with destiny to this basilica are presented”. He also made available a drone unit for supervision and surveillance purposes in the pilgrimage area.
On his side, the director of the COE, Major General Juan Manuel Méndez, pointed out that as usual, the operation “Conscience for Life” was arranged by instructions of President Luis Abinader, in support of the liturgical celebration, which has a preventive road device to speed up the response actions, starting on Saturday, January 20 at 2:00 pm until the 21st at 6:00 pm.
For these purposes, Méndez informed that the COE will deploy more than 7,000 people to provide assistance to citizens who are scheduled to travel this weekend and that the operation will be from the Juan Carlos Bridge, on Las Américas Avenue, to the Basilica of Higüey, including the road stretches linking the eastern provinces of the country.
Méndez made a call of conscience to the citizens who will be mobilized, while specifying that 303 aid stations will be installed, a Mobile Command Center in the Basilica, which will have command posts in each of the provinces of the region, as well as medical transport for those who require medical transfer and, likewise, the Red Cross and the Civil Defense will have hospital units to respond to emergencies that may occur.
Likewise, the operation includes units of the General Directorate of Security, Transit and Transport (Digesett), the Military Commission of the Ministry of Public Works and Communications, for assistance on highways, the support of the National Police, among other units ready to assist those who need help.
During the ceremony, held in the front esplanade of the Basilica Cathedral of Our Lady of La Altagracia, in Higüey, the provincial governor Martina Pepén Santana, said that “the locality is prepared to guide the parishioners who will travel to the province of La Altagracia, from different parts of the country this weekend”.
Among the measures of this operation, in coordination of Intrant and Digesett are:
● Regulation of urban and interurban public transportation.
● Regulation of motorcycles.
● Regulation of private vehicles (control of people in the back of pickup trucks or cargo vehicles, driving with properly functioning lights, checking tires and parking in prohibited or inadequate places that put through traffic at risk).
● Control of high pedestrian concentration due to massive activities.
● Control of critical points on main highways (Las Américas highway, Eastern highway, Duarte highway, 6 de Noviembre highway, Sánchez highway, El Coral-Higüey highway, Higüey-Verón highway, among others).
● Control of cargo vehicle circulation.
● Management of the operation of traffic-light intersections.
● Prevention campaign in the media.
● Among other actions.
Source: Presidencia.gob.do
