Committee Of Genoa Bridge Collapse Victims Urges Action If ASPI Allowed To Run New Bridge

GENOA (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 09th July, 2020) The Committee of memory of the victims of Genoa's Morandi Bridge collapse is going to take action in case the government does not strip Autostrade per l'Italia company (ASPI), which was responsible for the motorway maintenance when the tragedy happened, of the concession to run the new bridge, the committee's president, Egle Possetti, told Sputnik.

Morandi bridge collapsed in August 2018, killing 43 people and destroying the homes of more than 600 residents. ASPI has so far retained the concession and therefore was given a temporary management of the new bridge, which is not operational yet. Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte gave the company an ultimatum saying it must present an "advantageous" proposal, otherwise its concession would be revoked. ASPI representatives met with Transport Minister Paola De Micheli on Thursday afternoon. The government is expected to take the decision before the end of the week.

"We obviously hoped that before the end of the works on the new bridge, the concession would have been decisively taken away from Autostrade per l'Italia company, which would have left the new bridge for another company under concession," Possetti said.

She regretted that the decision was not taken immediately, and it took long for the government to approach the issue of the concession.

"But what we want now is that they take decisive steps now so that same people no longer have the concession. Because it is unacceptable after all that happened. When one causes a damage of this kind, one no longer has our trust and should no longer have it even from the government," Possetti said.

The issue caused major dispute in the governing coalition, with the anti-establishment Five Star Movement insisting on stripping ASPI of the concession, and the Democratic Party calling for caution given the possibility of a multi-billion compensation claim against the state (ASPI is controlled by the Benetton-led Atlantia group).

Possetti noted that in her opinion, the concession that Autostrade per l'Italia had was flawed from the very beginning, because it allowed the company to have big compensation even in case of its fault.

"However, it is now necessary to intervene in some way that the company legally no longer be able to exercise maintenance. Now we will wait for the decision of the government. We hope that it will be positive, but if not, we will definitely take steps, we will intervene," she said.

The new Genoa Bridge was designed by famous Italian architect Renzo Piano and built in less than two years. It resembles a ship, reflecting the port city's maritime heritage.