Piazzale Italia has been under construction by the Municipality of Altamura since 18 October 2023 and blocked after a few weeks without giving any communication to residents. The fence damaged by bad weather and rods emerging like skewers ready to skewer some unfortunate person. The works were scheduled to take 120 days, as per the poster posted along the fence.
The municipal administration believes that citizens have no right to know the reasons for the stoppage of work on the elusive redevelopment of the square, which was never requested by the residents, nor shared with them due to the critical issues that were expressed to the municipal technicians during the protest (the presumed greenery spread along the perimeter of the buildings where all the services run underground: water, sewer, telephone, electricity).
The mayor Prof. Vitantonio Petronella, who represents the community and the technical office – the local citizens say – has the moral duty to present himself in Piazzale Italia and justify the stoppage of the works.
Certainly this project cannot be attributed to him, it is a legacy of the previous administration, but it is not right to hide and not face the paradoxical story.
A very large square, with a traffic island and tall trees planted over 30 years ago thanks to the interest of the then councilor for public works Michele Colonna (father of the former regional councilor Enzo).
An area that was the pride of the administration of the late Fabio Perinei, ruined and degraded in a senseless way by the sloppy Melodia administration with a project that has nothing to do with redevelopment. A contemptuous insult to the intelligence of the residents.
Hiding behind silence does not benefit the Petronella Administration; This is where her credibility and trust come into play. Even the Councilor for Public Works Michele Mirgaldi disappeared. They have become ghosts. Someone is thinking of launching a statement on the television program “Chi l’ha visto” – others added.
Meanwhile, Piazzale Italia has become a ghetto; in some places the fence fell to the ground due to bad weather; the iron rods that supported it have become dangerous skewers in the dark; someone from the Municipality, in the event of an accident, will be held responsible for him.
Traffic became chaotic because it was channeled into a two-way lane and there was parking on both sides for over 200 cars. A bottleneck. Dust and air pollution have made many families impatient.
Unfortunately, it is painful to say, this municipal administration has also locked itself in the bunker of the City Hall; all good at making promises during the electoral campaign.
Residents are furious.
