Cozumel to Remove Abandoned Phone Booths

Cozumel, Mexico — The Cozumel municipal government is developing a strategy to finally remove unused telephone booths, the property of the company Telmex, from the island's streets. The plan also includes the removal of abandoned ATMs, which present an eyesore, according to statements made by the Director of Urban Development, Diego Lope Mena.

A Longstanding Urban Issue

Although the removal of these structures has been announced by each successive municipal administration, a workable strategy to achieve it is still being sought. Director Lope Mena stated that he is unaware of the reason why these structures have not yet been removed from public roads. During city inspections, these currently non-functioning booths have been detected and are now considered an obstruction in public spaces.

The proposal for removal will be presented at a cabinet meeting, where its viability and the appropriate procedure for uninstalling the booths will be determined. The municipality cannot unilaterally decide to remove them as they are located on public roads and have a proprietor, in this case, the company Telmex.

The Proposed Procedure

According to available data, approximately 57 booths have been detected throughout the urban area. A formal request will be sent to the company to remove all of its material. Should there be no response, the municipality would then be able to remove them from their locations as a swift response to a situation that is close to becoming a problem.

In the same vein, two or three abandoned ATMs, also non-functional, are part of the urban issue. For legal reasons, they cannot be moved as they contain valuables. However, the companies will also be notified, and if there is no response, a legal way to remove them and return them to the company intact will be explored.

Legal and Financial Considerations

Any action taken will first be backed by a formal letter sent directly to the corresponding companies. The official noted that these companies do not pay anything to the municipality for the use of public roads for their structures, a point that will also be addressed in the formal request for their removal.