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Reconstruction after the 2016 earthquake: Castelli earthquake the former Commissioner Legnini

Reconstruction after the 2016 earthquake: Castelli earthquake the former Commissioner Legnini

The thrusts of the new reconstruction commissioner, Guido Castelli (appointed by the Meloni government), to his predecessor Giovanni Legnini: reconstruction after the 2016 earthquake stops at 12% of the total. And not only. All the details

Post-earthquake reconstruction in 2016 is stuck at 12% of forecast. To say it is the new commissioner for reconstruction , Senator Guido Castelli (FdI), chosen by the Meloni government to replace the former vice president of the CSM Giovanni Legnini, whose appointment had expired at the end of 2022. Legnini instead continues his office, decided again from the Meloni government, as commissioner for the Ischia flood.

CASTELLI: "MY APPOINTMENT IS NOT A SPOIL SYSTEM"

Many have shouted at an unscrupulous use of the spoil system by the Meloni government. Accusation returned to the sender by Castelli himself. “I don't care. I only know that on August 24, 2016 at 3.36 in Aguata del Tronto I was there to sign the death certificates, to try to help the people – Senator Castelli told La Verità -. As mayor of Ascoli I had gone to support that population which can be said to live on the outskirts of my city. As mayor I followed the entire reconstruction process, as regional councilor with specific delegation I was already part of the coordination booth. When Legni handed me the steering wheel, I knew perfectly how to drive and I also know which path to take: to be the speaker of the needs of earthquake victims in the Government.

RECONSTRUCTION AT 12% OF THE TOTAL

Senator Guido Castelli was mayor of Ascoli Piceno, one of the capitals involved in the earthquake and the reconstruction, from 2009 to 2019. Take the reins of the post-earthquake reconstruction of 2016, which on August 24 destroyed villages between Lazio, Abruzzo, Umbria, Marche and caused the death of 299 people, it's not simple. "The situation is objectively critical, we can say that we are at 12% of the overall reconstruction". Despite this, Castelli judges the work done by Legnini to be good, especially from a regulatory point of view. “Legnini did a good job but above all on a legal level – said Castelli -. The consolidated text is a decisive step forward in clarifying the procedures even if there are still rules to be adjusted. But now we need to think about the facts. We are in fact at year zero. In the public structures sector we are far behind and inconsistent choices have also been made in the residential sector”.

THE FINDINGS OF THE COURT OF AUDITORS: LACK OF AN ORGANIZATION RESPONSIBLE FOR MANAGING THE RECONSTRUCTION

Even the Court of Auditors at the beginning of 2022 found that there were delays in the reconstruction process after the earthquake. "Among the causes of the delay in the implementation of the planned interventions following the earthquake of 24 August 2016, which struck central Italy, there is also the lack of an organization responsible for managing the reconstruction, in the face of structures already operational for emergency management (Civil Protection) – the accounting magistrates had written in their analysis. In the document "Interventions for the reconstruction in the territories affected by the earthquake of 24 August 2016", the Court of Auditors analyzed the complex commissioner structure, the procedures used for the reconstruction of private buildings and public buildings. The accounting judiciary notes that funds "equal to approximately 4.388 billion euros as of 30 June 2021" have been made available to the government commissioner. The funds, although conspicuous and coming from general taxation, have not been spent in full.

CASTELLI: "LEGNINI HAS CLEARED THE REGULATORY JUNGLE, NOW WE NEED TO WORK"

The responsibility for the delays, according to Castelli, is to be attributed to whoever started the organizational machine. “They made a mistake at the start – Castelli said in an interview with the newspaper founded and directed by Maurizio Belpietro – . When Renzi appointed Vasco Errani he had in mind the reconstruction model of Emilia, an error that was repeated with Paola De Micheli. Rebuilding in the Apennines is not like working in the Po Valley, having to deal with medieval villages of less than a thousand souls is not like working in the city, mending the economic fabric made up of stables, craft fields, tourism is not like putting feet industrial zones”. The jab at his predecessor is between the lines. “To all this must be added the contradictory, elephantine, muddled production of names that have plastered everything. Legnini has deforested the regulatory jungle, now we need to work. And rebuilding where it was and how it was is little more than a slogan”.

DELAYS DUE TO THE 110% BONUS

The responsibility for the delays can also be attributed to the distortions of the 110% bonus. “There was a sudden stop due to 110% – Castelli said -. The companies have left the crater, so have the technicians. 110% made unsustainable competition for reconstruction”. A similar situation could arise if EU legislation on green houses were to pass. It is obvious that the new interventions we do are all aimed at maximum energy efficiency but I would not want there to be a phenomenon encore of the 110, that is, that companies escape from the crater to do more lucrative jobs".

NEW COMMISSIONER CASTELLI'S ROAD MAP: FIRST HOME, SCHOOLS AND HOSPITALS AND THE ECONOMIC FABRIC

The new commissioner then draws up his list of priorities. A road map that starts from the first house. “The priority for me is the first home: I have to give the house back to those who lived in the crater and bring back those who have left – says Castelli -. We cannot continue to spend money on emergency housing solutions, on housing contributions”. And after the first houses come "public buildings because the presence of the institutions must be felt" with priorities for schools and hospitals, and then "communities must be rebuilt by offering jobs, bringing in businesses, building development opportunities"


This is a machine translation from Italian language of a post published on Start Magazine at the URL https://www.startmag.it/economia/ricostruzione-post-sisma-2016-castelli-terremota-lex-commissario-legnini/ on Mon, 30 Jan 2023 14:45:31 +0000.