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Meloni in Niscemi assures: 'Wednesday decree, we allocate 150 million'

Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni visited the Sicilian municipality hit by the landslide: there will be 'an overall response to all the territories involved in conjunction with the presidents of the regions'. Funds are coming in to restore the infrastructure network and services, support economic activities, and tax suspension. On social shock absorbers in-depth studies by the Ministry of Labour

by Nino Amadore

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La presidente del Consiglio Giorgia Meloni in visita in Sicilia per una ricognizione nelle aree colpite dal ciclone Harry, a partire da Niscemi

4' min read

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4' min read

Translated by AI

For feedback, please contact
english@ilsole24ore.com

Versione italiana

A surprise visit, let's say, to touch upon the damage and the overall situation in Niscemi, the centre in the province of Caltanissetta affected by the landslide that has already displaced more than 1,500 people. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, accompanied by the head of the Civil Protection department, Fabio Ciciliano, for a reconnaissance of the areas affected by Cyclone Harry, wearing a Civil Protection safety helmet - as shown in the images released by Palazzo Chigi - carried out a survey on the landslide area in the town in the province of Caltanissetta.

Then the premier attended a meeting at the Municipal Operations Centre, in the town hall, with representatives from the Army, Civil Protection and Anas, among others. Meloni was then shown the stone cross of Niscemi, which has become a symbol of hope and resistance, and which was recovered yesterday by a ground drone belonging to the State Police's Central Security Operations Centre, after having fallen into the abyss due to the continuous movement of the landslide.

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"We don't stop and we don't give up," said Niscemi mayor Massimiliano Conti, welcoming her after the helicopter landing. the premier answered him with a 'never'. Later Meloni also visited the site of the Niscemi stone cross, whose recovery was finalised yesterday. Finally, the premier took part in an operational meeting together with the head of the Civil Protection department, Fabio Ciciliano.

Ciciliano extraordinary commissioner for Niscemi

The council of ministers on Wednesday will approve the decree on Niscemi. Premier Giorgia Meloni, who today visited the Sicilian municipality hit by a landslide following Cyclone Harry about a month ago, announced.

"The decree arrives on Wednesday, it is immediately operational, so the resources from the next day are there. Ciciliano will be commissioner and will have to make the ordinances," he added. For Niscemi, he reported, 150 million will be allocated.

In the decree there is also 'an overall response to all the territories involved in conjunction with the presidents of the regions, Occhiuto, Schifani and Todde. On Niscemi, there is the appointment of the extraordinary commissioner Ciciliano and 150 million for the municipality alone,' he stressed.

The premier: "Niscemi is the most monitored municipality in Europe"

"I have also spoken to the citizens about it: I ask them not to force, because it would be a mistake, the definition of the buffer zone on the landslide front because those are not decisions that can be made on a political level, those are decisions that can be made on the basis of technical data," announced Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. I don't want to do that and I think that we should not force for safety, for health and for the certainty that when we give answers they are certain'.

"I cannot and do not want to give a timeline of which I am not certain: I can say that today Niscemi is the most monitored municipality in Europe because all the best excellences are there: the military engineers, the civil protection, the fire brigade are working to give answers as to which strip is unfortunately considered unsafe and which is the one that can be recovered. To do this we need time and it is not a decision that can be forced, politically it would be irresponsible'.

Measures in favour of areas affected by Harry

"On Wednesday, we will bring to the Cdm a decree that deals in general with the flooding issue, and specifically with the Niscemi issue, distinguishing the two issues," Giorgia Meloni announced again during a press point held in Niscemi. And she went on to explain: 'We envisage several hundred million euros for what concerns the restoration of the infrastructure and services network, and therefore also impacts and concerns the Niscemi issue,' said the tenant of Palazzo Chigi. 'We envisage compensation and support initiatives for the economic activities that have been affected, particularly in the field of agriculture. Here too are measures that we know are significant. There is the suspension of taxes, and this obviously also applies to Niscemi, but it applies to all the territories that have been affected. Taxes should be suspended until April, it means postponing payment until at least October. There are social shock absorbers on which the Ministry of Labour is working for both employees and self-employed workers who cannot work because of the events that have occurred, of course. There are the ministries that have mobilised and made some EUR 170 million available themselves for activities in various fields'.

Schifani: 'Collaboration with the government essential'

The President of the Sicilian Region, Renato Schifani, in Rome for commitments, stressed the importance of the Prime Minister's visit: 'I heard the Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, this morning to update her on the resources already put in place by the national government to support the Sicilian territories affected by Cyclone Harry,' he said. 'I welcome with great appreciation her return today to Niscemi and the other areas affected by the emergency. Her presence, accompanied by the head of the Civil Protection Department, Fabio Ciciliano, confirms the concrete attention to our communities, already demonstrated with the first visit last 28 January'.

Schifani, for his part, reiterated the government's commitment to tackling the damage caused by the landslide and Cyclone Harry. "In these hours I am in Rome for a series of institutional interlocutions related to further necessary interventions, with the aim of accelerating procedures and resources to support families, businesses and local administrations. The collaboration between the Government and the Sicilian Region is fundamental to guarantee rapid and effective responses. We continue to work, together, to ensure that Sicily has the support and tools it needs in this delicate phase'.

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