PAN deputy sees delays in Utopías construction; only seven of 14 planned for 2026 delivered

A deputy from the National Action Party (PAN) has warned of significant delays in Mexico City's "Utopías" project, noting that only seven of the 14 facilities planned for completion by 2026 have been delivered. Lizzette Salgado, the PAN deputy, also expressed doubts about the expenditure of over 4.2 billion pesos allocated for these social infrastructure initiatives.

Salgado highlighted that while the Utopías were a major promise of the current administration, their progress and results fall far short of what was pledged. She emphasized that the program's status will require close examination during the upcoming review of the Head of Government's second official report. The deputy stressed the importance of seriously assessing what has been built, how much has been spent, and the tangible outcomes of the program, especially considering its potential benefits for communities within the framework of the city's new care system.

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the utopias program should be one of the topics that are reviewed in greater detail during the review of the report

Initially, the plan for 2026 included 16 Utopías, one for each borough. However, two projects were later canceled due to local resident opposition in Xochimilco and a legal challenge in Cuajimalpa. Currently, only seven Utopías have been formally inaugurated. Reports accompanying these openings have indicated pending work, unavailable equipment, and insufficient staffing to fully operate the announced services, as previously documented by EL UNIVERSAL.

Regarding the budget, Salgado pointed out that while 1.7 billion pesos were allocated for the construction of 16 Utopías in 2025, the public account for that year shows an expenditure of 2.772 billion pesos covering Utopías and training schools across various boroughs. This discrepancy necessitates a precise understanding of the funds allocated specifically to the Utopías program and how they were utilized. Furthermore, transparency portal data related to World Cup projects lists three Utopías, Mixiuhca, La Heroica, and Ceylán, with a reported cost of approximately 793 million pesos, nearly 46.6% of the 1.7 billion pesos originally earmarked for 2025.

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The figures are not clear enough for any citizen to follow the money from the approved budget to the completed work. And when we talk about billions of pesos...