PALERMO (ITALPRESS) – “What happened with the landfill and the Tmb plant in Lentini is truly unfortunate. And it dropped on my table without anyone having ever informed me in advance”, an event that “has made me bitter due to the total lack of cohesion in government action. The Environment and Waste Departments acted without constructively coordinating with each other and above all without warning me of the consequences that could arise from their actions. I had to involve all my staff, and for this I thank, one above all, the head of cabinet Totò Sammartano, to solve the problem. But this situation makes me think that a change of pace is needed and I will ask all the councilors for it.” This was said by the president of the Sicilian Region, Renato Schifani, interviewed by the Giornale di Sicilia, speaking about the waste emergency on the island. “Greater cohesion and coordination with the presidency is needed among them, especially when social tensions may depend on their actions. Anyone who doesn’t stick to this method will leave the council alone. I cannot be the recipient of other people’s dysfunctions.” Beyond political evaluations, the governor continues, “in February, when the contracts expire, I do not intend to renew many of the top bureaucracies, giving space to new and willing generations of managers”. And according to Schifani, the solution to deal with the waste emergency comes from “waste-to-energy plants. We have already identified the two areas in Palermo and Catania where they will be built. In July, thanks to the powers of commissioner, I will approve the new waste plan. By the end of the year we will have the preliminary projects and the notices for the integrated tender. I will work to ensure that they are achieved by the end of the legislature.” Schifani then addresses another delicate issue, that linked to drought: “I cannot fail to point out that I have found a Region where for more than 20 years no one has been responsible for the maintenance of dams and their completion. Without considering the dilapidated and unseemly water networks which, in the face of a drought like the one we are experiencing, have amplified the problem. I can assure you that we are doing everything we can to help the agricultural and livestock sectors. And to prevent tourism from being penalized by calls to cancel holidays in Sicily from other parts of the world. Furthermore, we have obtained funds to activate one hundred new wells. We will have a navy ship that will provide us with supplies when needed. And we will be ready with the tankers. Furthermore, we have allocated 90 million to reactivate the three desalination plants in Gela, Porto Empedocle and Trapani which have been abandoned for 14 years in an unjustifiable manner. If they had still worked, the situation would be different today.” Recently, the emergency of unpaid courses for professional training institutions also broke out on the island: “Despite being involved in very serious emergencies, we will deal with it as soon as possible. Likewise, maximum attention will be paid to ensure that the department proceeds with the failed reform I announced during the election campaign: the organization of courses that better respond to the demand coming from the labor market”. And regarding the reshuffle he announces: “I will do it by July, I hope sooner. And I will have to start with the replacement of the Councilor for Economy, Marco Falcone, elected in Brussels, whom I thank for his commitment over these two years. I am convinced that he will also do an excellent job in the European Parliament in the interests of Sicily”. “My choice will be free and autonomous – he underlines -. And it can only fall on a figure with proven experience in the economic sector and knowledge of the Region’s accounts”, he concludes.
– Photo Agency Fotogramma –
(ITALPRESS).
