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In the middle of summer, when cockroaches and other insects are rampant and the population of the Costa del Sol has tripled: this was the moment chosen by the pest control company, with which Benalmádena town hall had signed a contract, to present its resignation.
In a letter sent to the council, to which SUR has had access, the company Andasur, which was in charge of the service, describes its decision following the coronavirus pandemic and how its business activity has been falling since the disinfection measures imposed by Covid have been relaxed.
In view of this, the company, according to the letter, is currently studying its viability, although at the same time announces that it has decided to "terminate all public and private contracts currently in force", including the one with Benalmádena. This letter was registered at the council offices on 5 July, coinciding with the problems with the cleaning and rubbish collection service which have occurred in recent weeks in the municipality as a result of the change of contract holder.
On Tuesday, the municipal authority announced the emergency contracting of another company to provide this service until a new permanent contract is awarded, which will be processed immediately by the emergency procedure. The company that will now carry out the pest control will do so for 6,352.50 euros per month, to be paid for by the health department.
Specifically, in the contract that Benalmádena had signed, the pest control service consisted of preventive tasks with campaigns throughout the year and attention to complaints and specific problems that might arise, offering a response time that would minimise the risks to public health, as well as the inconvenience caused to citizens.
The company also carried out specific treatments in homes whose owners did not have economic resources, subject to a report from the social services, and in those places where the council must act in a subsidiary manner, whose action is subject to the processing of the corresponding administrative file.
Municipal sources assured that "as the current service contract was terminated unexpectedly by the contractor", the emergency of this contract is justified as it is "a service of public interest, of obligatory provision for the protection of public health, and because the council does not have its own personal or material resources, nor the corresponding administrative authorisations to carry it out itself".
"We have given an immediate response to an unexpected problem that this council has had to face at a time when this service is essential," said the councillor for health, Áurea Peralta, who announced that the new company will attend to the areas after the resignation of the previous concessionaire and recalled that this same situation has occurred in other cities such as Malaga city, where it has also been decided to provide a provisional emergency solution until the implementation of a new contract.
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