ROMA (ITALPRESS) – “Today we can say that reconstruction has finally made a change of pace and that light at the bottom of the tunnel is clearly distinguished, thanks to a collective work that involved institutions, communities and professionals.” In an exclusive interview with Giovanna Ianniello for the Century of Italy, the extraordinary commissioner for reconstruction Guido Castelli, in view of the tenth anniversary of the earthquake that hit the centre of Italy. “The morning after the shock occurred at 3:36 – remembers Castles – I was in Arquata del Tronto to help mayor Petrucci overwhelmed by the catastrophe. I saw the blood bodies and breathed the rubble dust. In a word: I have full awareness of what represented that tragic event. Ten years are a long time, marked by pain and a complex reconstruction, but also by a determination that has never failed”.
The particular attention “dedicated to the three common martyrs of 24 August has been reiterated also in recent days when, thanks to the measures taken by the Government at the Cdm of 4 August, dedicated measures (ZFU and staff stabilization) were planned for Accumoli, Amatrice and Arquata, while, throughout the crater, resources were allocated to programmes of economic and social relaunch. It is yet another concrete example of a commitment by the Executive who has never failed.”
The numbers tell us that the liquidations of Cassa Depositi e Prestiti to the enterprises engaged in private reconstruction exceed 8 billion, with 69% paid from 2023 to today. Only in the last year was liquidated 1.5 billion euros. The authorized yards are 23.361 and those concluded 14.968, equal to more than 64% of the interventions started. With regard to public reconstruction, ongoing work and completed works account for around 40% of the entire programming. So much has been done, but we are aware that there is still a lot of work to do.” Also for this “the anniversary of August 24 unites the memory of the past to the tension towards a new tomorrow: because returning future to the Apennines means rebuilding houses, but also trust, economy, services, opportunity”.
For Castles the step change “was the fruit of a constant work of administrative simplification accomplished in these years, aimed at removing the factors that caused obstacles and slowdowns. We have worked to reduce time, procedures and overlays, and this has made the reconstruction machine faster. But simplification alone is not enough: upstream, the decisive element was institutional synergy, implemented through the model of multi-level governance. Government, Regions and Municipalities have worked in a spirit of constant collaboration and unity of intent, aligning objectives, tools and priorities.”
Castles emphasizes that “it is not enough to rebuild houses and buildings”, but “we have the duty and the will to counter the phenomenon of depopulation, rebuild communities, relationships, the intangible fabric that gives life to our villages”. This is “the principle of the Right to stay finally impressed by the European Union, thanks to the valuable work of Vice-President Ue and Commissioner Raffaele Fitto, who put in his agenda the theme of ‘right to remain’, especially in the internal areas. The territories affected by the earthquake suffered a deep fracture, not only material.”
“Today we can say – he concludes – that we entered the decisive phase of the path. Many municipalities of the crater are seeing reopening municipalities, churches, squares and streets. Others are launching particularly complex yards. Our goal is clear: to complete the material reconstruction and consolidate the social one, so that each village can return to being fully lived. We do not speak of a return to the past, but of the construction of a safer, more modern and cohesive future.”
– foto Ipa Agency-
(ITALPRESS).
