The government halts the expansion works of the Metropolitan Area due to budgetary restrictions.

The Ministry of Cultures, Arts, and Heritage has decided to halt the expansion works of the Gabriela Mistral Cultural Center (GAM). This decision came after a notification from the Ministry of Culture to the Ministry of Public Works (MOP), informing that the Government does not have the necessary budgetary resources to continue with the works of Stage 2 of the project. Following this, the MOP announced that it will proceed with the termination of the contract.

It is worth remembering that the expansion of the GAM is an initiative that has been in process for over a decade. Recently, in March of this year, it had resumed its works after a long period of suspension. "The city also needs culture.

" The news quickly sparked a series of criticisms from Claudio Orrego, governor of the Metropolitan region: "Once again, a key project for the city remains unfinished. " "The early termination of the GAM contract deepens years of delays in a project that Santiago needs. The city is not only built with houses, streets, and highways; it also needs culture and meeting spaces like the GAM," he stated on his X account.

Martín Arrau, Minister of Public Works, responded to the governor, arguing that the decision came from the Ministry of Cultures and emphasizing that they inherited a "historic structural deficit" from the previous government. "Now more than ever, every public peso (which comes from the taxes of all Chileans) requires order and justification," he noted. He also added, "This contract was tendered for 72 billion pesos and awarded for 114 billion pesos (considerably more) just a few weeks before the change of government.