Sawt Falasteen - Brazil judge suspends work on Rio's Sugarloaf zip line

With its inauguration scheduled for the second half of this year, the new tourist attraction promises a "unique" and "sustainable" experience, but has been met with stiff resistance from neighbors and environmental activists.

"Large perforations were made in Sugarloaf -yes, perforations!- without it being known with certainty how much damage this could cause" to the stone, wrote federal judge Paulo Andre Bonfadini in his preliminary ruling, signed on Thursday.

The judge noted that the work had begun "before there was an authorization from Iphan," the Institute of Historical and Artistic Heritage (Iphan).

"It is enough to see that the work began in September 2022 and the formal authorization only arrived in January 2023," Bonfadini said.

In response to a request from the prosecutor's office, the judge ordered the "immediate suspension" of the Iphan authorizations for the work, and that the company refrain from "promoting cutting or drilling in the rocks" or any modification that implies "demolition or construction of new elements."

With its mountain peak and spectacular views over the sea and the city, Sugarloaf was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2012 along with other Rio landmarks such as the statue of Christ the Redeemer on the Corcovado mountain. Some 1.6 million people visit Sugarloaf every year.

The company placed in charge of the site more than a century ago, Parque Bondinho Pao de Acucar, said in a statement sent to AFP Friday that it still had no access to the court decision, but reiterated the "absolute legality of the works."

The "licensing process followed all the technical requirements requested by Iphan and the Municipal Secretary of Environment and Climate," among other public bodies, the group said.

The attraction is designed for visitors to descend four zip lines that will connect Sugarloaf -- which is 396 meters (1300 feet) above sea level, and its neighbor, Urca hill, which is 220 meters high.

Riders would travel 755 meters with a maximum speed of 100 kilometers (60 miles) per hour.

In addition to the drilling, its critics fear the possible impact on local flora and fauna which has already been affected, they say, by overflights of tourist helicopters and night parties.

The group "Sugarloaf without a Zipline" movement has launched an online petition to prevent the work, which has so far gathered more than 23,000 signatures.

N.Awad--SF-PST