The rain of recent days in Sicily destroyed houses, people, environment. The number of dead is not certain, yet, but it will be more than twenty. The mud came down from the mountains and took everything away. For some people it is the fault of illegal building in a hydrological risk area. Maybe we will know the truth in many years, or as often happens in Italy, we will never know it.
But they have to go on with the slogans and that's why, last night, without taking care of the tragedy still in progress, the Minister of Infrastructure and Transport, Altero Matteoli, announced by the end of the year, up to January 2010, the start of the construction of Messina Strait bridge.
"I hope that at least in January, if not in December, they can start working," Matteoli said.
During the 170 years celebration of the Naples-Portici railway, the minister assures that contracts with the general contractor, the group Impregilo, are in the process of being signed.
During the 170 years celebration of the Naples-Portici railway, the minister assures that contracts with the general contractor, the group Impregilo, are in the process of being signed.
It doesn't matter whether the statement comes a few days from an environmental disaster that destroyed some towns in Sicily, near Messina. It does not matter if the President, Giorgio Napolitano, commenting on this tragedy had said that it is better to invest on safety rather than in monumental works. He also point out that "or there is a solid plan to invest to ensure security in those areas of the country or there could be even more disasters."
Perhaps the words of the President of Republic are not important for this majority who cannot stop the pharaoh's dreams even during an economic crisis that each day is destroying families' possibilities of survival. "It's clear that we are in a time of severe financial difficulties - said Roberto Castelli - but nevertheless the government was able to do operations with allocation of private capital, allocation of project financing.
Perhaps the words of the President of Republic are not important for this majority who cannot stop the pharaoh's dreams even during an economic crisis that each day is destroying families' possibilities of survival. "It's clear that we are in a time of severe financial difficulties - said Roberto Castelli - but nevertheless the government was able to do operations with allocation of private capital, allocation of project financing.
The Government do not even think that a territory like Sicily, who was wounded by years of illegal buildings, earthworks and fires has become so vulnerable to have destructive reactions like floods or landslides. Works on the bridge, not just the structure but the aerial works related, could only further aggravate the already serious hydrogeological instability.
Nature never makes discounts. Sarno was not the only one, with its 137 dead and 140 landslides back in 1998. In more than ten years, landslides in Italy have continued. Only in the South we had two victims in Trapani for a storm (February 2). Two workers died in a landslide in Caltanissetta (28 January). Landslides throughout the South, closed 60 kilometers of highway (29 January).Two dead and four injured in a landslide on the Salerno-Reggio Calabria (25 January).
A large part of Sicily is at hydrological risk, but building has never been a problem because, sooner or later, an amnesty will be done by the government and everything will be permitted, even doubling the surfaces of your houses.
Nature never makes discounts. Sarno was not the only one, with its 137 dead and 140 landslides back in 1998. In more than ten years, landslides in Italy have continued. Only in the South we had two victims in Trapani for a storm (February 2). Two workers died in a landslide in Caltanissetta (28 January). Landslides throughout the South, closed 60 kilometers of highway (29 January).Two dead and four injured in a landslide on the Salerno-Reggio Calabria (25 January).
A large part of Sicily is at hydrological risk, but building has never been a problem because, sooner or later, an amnesty will be done by the government and everything will be permitted, even doubling the surfaces of your houses.
Now that the Minister of Infrastructure has promised that soon will begin work on the bridge over the Straits of Messina, the Berlusconi party will use the slogan of "government of doing". Not matter if there is no money. No matter if the land is destroyed and now, after the disaster at Messina, Enviromental Minister Prestigiacomo complains that there are no funds for soil conservation in 2010. It does not matter if in the project are involved Impregilo and Anas, which were not able to complete a highway in twenty years.
The first works of modernization of the Salerno-Reggio Calabria began back in 1990. In 2001, still nothing was done, and the Minister Lunardi says that the highway will be ready for 2005, in 2002 they moved the date to 2006, in 2005 to 2009. Today, almost 2010, the work is not finished, yet. The promises say the work will be completed in 2013, but until now the costs were 17 times higher than the initial allocation.
How can you believe that things will go differently with the bridge? How can you believe that there will be no mafia infiltration blocking work? The important thing is to announce the pioneering works, even if the state does not have the money to cover expenses.
The first works of modernization of the Salerno-Reggio Calabria began back in 1990. In 2001, still nothing was done, and the Minister Lunardi says that the highway will be ready for 2005, in 2002 they moved the date to 2006, in 2005 to 2009. Today, almost 2010, the work is not finished, yet. The promises say the work will be completed in 2013, but until now the costs were 17 times higher than the initial allocation.
How can you believe that things will go differently with the bridge? How can you believe that there will be no mafia infiltration blocking work? The important thing is to announce the pioneering works, even if the state does not have the money to cover expenses.
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