Tarcísio weakens candidacy with federal works and investments blocked in SP

President Jair Bolsonaro’s pre-candidate for the Government of São Paulo, Minister Tarcísio de Freitas (Infrastructure) is sold by his political group as a delivery man of works and concessions.

Survey made by sheethowever, shows that the portfolio’s investments fell in relation to previous administrations.

In addition, in São Paulo, the state that Tarcísio intends to manage, there are timid deliveries compared to other units of the federation and even important works carried out by the Ministry of Infrastructure.

Tarcísio, in view of this, bets on large concessions, such as the Port of Santos and the Presidente Dutra highway, as brands for his management. He has even been nicknamed “Thorcizio” by allies, in a play on the force with which he uses the hammer during public asset auctions.

as showed the sheet, Tarcísio’s candidacy worries rivals, as he could grow up driven by polarization and Bolsonaro’s support. In addition, there is the assessment that the minister, because he is seen as a technician and less inclined to the president’s exaggerations, is capable of piercing the ceiling of Bolsonar votes.

Tarcísio has been criticized even by business groups and his reputation as a director is contested by the expenses of the ministry, which show that the Ministry of Infrastructure invests less than in the past.

The average annual investment in the last three years was R$ 8.5 billion, in amounts executed and corrected, according to the website Siga Brasil, of the Senate.

In the last term, during the Dilma Rousseff (PT) and Michel Temer (MDB) administrations, this average value was R$ 10.5 billion, accounting for the equivalent portfolio of Transport, Ports and Civil Aviation.

Under a different economic reality and at the height of the PAC (Growth Acceleration Program), the investment in Dilma’s first administration reached twice that amount.

The Dnit (National Department of Transport Infrastructure), for example, which is under the umbrella of Tarcísio’s portfolio, has R$ 6.2 billion in investments planned for this year. In 2012, the agency invested R$ 21 billion.

The falling numbers are reflected in the quality of the roads. A survey by the CNT (National Confederation of Transport) shows that public investment in federal highways, which in 2018 was BRL 156,000 per km, dropped to BRL 143,000 in 2020 and was expected to reach BRL 109,000 in 2021.

In São Paulo, Tarcísio’s fame as a paver will face the challenge of João Doria-Rodrigo Garcia’s administration (both from the PSDB), who also sought to build roads as an asset, so the issue of highways should be a reason for conflict in the campaign .

The Government of São Paulo launched two road recovery programs, Novas Vicinais, with an expense of BRL 6.5 billion for 5,800 km, and Estrada Asfaltada, of BRL 1.7 billion for 2,300 km. km.

Dnit’s investment in São Paulo was BRL 44.8 million in 2021 and is estimated at BRL 14 million for 2022. Investments by the Department of Logistics and Transport, which includes road works, amounted to BRL 3 .5 billion in 2021 and a forecast of R$ 6.8 billion in 2022.

Tarcísio has also invested in the discourse that he unlocked stalled works from other administrations.

“Once in a while I am asked what I think of opposition criticism that we are completing works by previous governments. I think it’s a compliment. I think my role in thinking about infrastructure as a state policy, and not as a government policy, is being fulfilled” , wrote on his social networks.

So far, Tarcísio’s ministry has delivered 263 works in the country, according to a list made by the ministry.

With 14 works identified by the report, São Paulo had fewer deliveries than at least five other states —Mato Grosso do Sul led with 24 of them, followed by Santa Catarina (21), Minas Gerais (17), Bahia (15) and Goiás (15). ).

At least four of these works were already at an advanced stage, since they were inaugurated in the first year of Tarcísio’s administration. There are forecasts for three more deliveries of the folder in São Paulo this year, but none with the potential to become a brand.

The minister’s portfolio in São Paulo ranges from the renovation of the runway at Congonhas airport to improvements in the Port of Santos, including restoration of a stretch of the BR-101 in Ubatuba.

In this area, on the other hand, the minister is seen as one of those responsible for blocking works in the governed state João Doria, a rival of the president.

Among allies of deputy governor Rodrigo Garcia, who is expected to take over the government in April and will run for re-election to Palácio dos Bandeirantes, the reading is that the Bolsonaro administration acted to harm the state in the context of the feud with Doria.

For them, the minister, who previously did not consider a candidacy in São Paulo, but in Goiás, will now be charged for the imbroglios.

A case considered symbolic is the Dutra concession, which provides for the duplication of the Rio-Santos highway only on the Rio de Janeiro stretch. Mayors and entities of Vale do Paraíba (SP) also complain about the greater discount given on tolls in Rio.

On the 4th, in São José dos Campos (SP), during an event with Bolsonaro to formalize the concession, Tarcísio stated that “the stretch to Angra dos Reis [RJ] will be doubled”, which was considered a gaffe by the people of São Paulo.

The ministry claims that the greater traffic on the Rio section explains the need for duplication and that the toll price was set without distinction between states, but based on technical criteria. The user will have the possibility to pay according to the mileage driven.

Another emblematic issue is the bridge between Santos and Guarujá, which Doria promised to remove from paper in his campaign and which depends on the approval of the Ministry of Infrastructure for involving the Port of Santos.

The Tucana management made a series of changes to the project at the request of the federal government and delivered the latest version in November 2020 – since then it has been waiting for the return of the portfolio on the R$ 3.9 billion work.

If authorization from the Bolsonaro government is not given by the end of this month, the Government of São Paulo must file a lawsuit, which can also be used as ammunition against the minister.

In response to the report, the ministry claims to have knowledge about the bridge project, but “understands that a tunnel better meets the urban mobility solution and does not create impediments to the operation and expansion of port services”.

The tunnel should go up for auction this year, according to the ministry, and will be financed by the company that won the bid for the privatization of the Port of Santos.

The expansion of a channel on the Tiete-Paraná Waterway was also pending approval from the Dnit. The Doria government sent the project to the ministry in September 2020 and has been awaiting the transfer of funds since then.

Approval took place only in February of this year, and the works may start as early as 2022. Tucanos associate the recent resolution with Tarcísio’s pre-candidacy, who may try to capitalize on the work.

The construction of the Avanhandava canal has been stopped since 2019. During this period, the waterway was paralyzed for seven months due to drought, something that the work must avoid.

wanted by sheet, the ministry says that the delay in the work is due to the need to hire a new company, since the previous one was ineffective. It also says that the delay in approval was caused by insufficient studies presented by the São Paulo government, something that the Doria administration contests.

On the part of the ministry, there is an admission of “budget reduction in recent years”. The ministry says it works with the concession of assets to the private sector to “unlock investments and improve the country’s transport infrastructure”.

Since the beginning of the administration, 81 assets have already been granted, which, according to the government, will guarantee an investment of almost R$ 90 billion during the contracts. For this year, another 56 privatizations are planned, with more than R$ 165 billion in investments.

In a vocabulary full of superlatives, Tarcísio has praised the privatization of the Port of Santos as the star of the package, which, he says, will be the largest in the southern hemisphere.

The minister himself wants to hammer out as many concessions as possible, something he considers the showcase of his administration. Before leaving office to run, he participates, on March 30, in the auction of Codesa (Companhia Docas do Espírito Santo) and three other port terminals.

Betting on this speech, which is more reminiscent of Doria than Bolsonaro, Tarcísio has already turned his privatization ray to São Paulo, where, if elected, he also promises to sell Sabesp.

The ministry cites a series of concessions planned in the state. In aviation, Congonhas and Campo de Marte are among the 15 airports to be granted to the private sector. In addition, there is privatization of railways and ports, such as Santos and São Sebastião, on the list.

Regarding the drop in investments, the ministry says that the data sent by sheet “refer to the commitments of discretionary expenses of the fiscal budget and social security, investments, excluding regulatory agencies”.

The data reported by the ministry add up to R$ 27 billion in the first three years of management – ​​even so, investment remains in decline, with average annual spending around R$ 9 billion.

The ministry stated that it acted efficiently in the use of public resources and in partnership with the private sector. “Thus, it was possible to surpass the results obtained since 2019”, he says.

Also according to the government, the current budget “provides for the allocation of R$ 5.9 billion to the Dnit”. “The amount is higher than initially foreseen in the bill. Between the processing and the presidential sanction, there was an increase of R$ 1.4 billion, which will favor several projects in progress.”

Regarding the amount of works in São Paulo, the ministry claims to have “national action” and to be oriented “to act in the formulation of policies and in the provision of transport infrastructure for the 27 units of the federation”.