Emilia-Romagna flood, reconstruction is still at a standstill: no money and a clash of competences
Money never reached citizens, businesses and municipalities. Clash of skills and bureaucratic delays. This is the desolate situation in Emilia Romagna three months after the flood, reported today by Repubblica according to which it is alarm for the reconstruction that does not take off. As Repubblica recalls, the government first allocated 2 billion with two separate decrees (between tax relief, assistance to the population and layoffs) and then another 2.5 billion planned over three years, of which, however, only 120 million for damages to private individuals, against a calculation by the Region of 8.8 billion.
But, according to Repubblica, “funds have not yet arrived to municipalities, citizens and businesses, sand excluding the 3,000 euros already paid to 11,500 families thanks to an accelerated procedure put in place by the Region and the national civil protection. The mayors and the Region itself have pointed out that of the 900 million allocated by the government almost immediately for the emergency layoffs, only about thirty have been used by companies”.
Municipalities and Regions have launched over 400 million urgent interventions, anticipating resources while waiting for refreshments, but in the absence of certainties the construction sites have slowed down“, says Repubblica, while a clash of competences is revealed. “I have to rebuild a collapsed bridge and reopen a road to an isolated location, but I am colliding with bureaucratic apparatuses that move late – always explains to Repubblica da Modigliana, on the Forlì Apennines, the mayor Jader Dardi — We need to be quick for authorizations, we are losing a favorable period of the year for building sites”.
The governor of the Democratic Party Stefano Bonaccini, attacks the government speaking to Repubblica: “At the moment not a single euro has arrived, if we remove the first orders I made as emergency commissioner together with the Civil Protection for assistance to the population and the advances of 3 thousand euros to the most affected families I also point out that of the 4 billion or so contained in the decree, only 2.5 are made available to Commissioner Figliuolo: the others are assigned to the ministries and risk not being spent”.
“The government decree has not allocated resources to find additional personnel in the Municipalities to manage the enormous amount of work that will have to be carried out. How can you think that small mountain towns have the personnel and skills to manage the over a thousand important landslides surveyed?”, continues Bonaccini in Repubblica. Who adds: “If more time is wasted, there is a risk of breaking that relationship of trust between citizens, businesses and institutions which is the strong point in our region”.
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