«The issue of accountability should have existed many years ago», said the Regional Governor of Attica, Nikos Hardalias, at the first Special Accountability Session of the Regional Council, held at the Old Parliament. This is an institution that is activated for the first time after the recent amendment of the institutional framework and concerns the control of the Regional Authority's activities every two months.
«Accountability is an obligation of every elected official. It is our obligation, as is the case at the parliamentary level, to respond transparently and clearly to specific questions about anything that concerns the concerns, anxieties and primarily the priorities of both the factions and civil society, »noted Mr.
In this first Special Accountability Session of the Regional Council, the Regional Governor of Attica answered a total of 11 questions: three from the governing party and eight from the opposition parties.
Mr.Chardalias referred, among other things, to the holistic programme for West Attica, with a total budget of 545 million euros, which was announced during the first meeting of the Regional Council in Aspropyrgos. This is, as he underlined, the first big bet of the entire Regional Council, which puts into practice the commitment for balanced development in all 66 neighbourhoods of Attica. He added: «The programme we presented concerns a set of “64 plus” development projects for the whole of West Attica, developed in 5+1 pillars. It has already been presented to the leaders of the factions, asking for their input, so that we can take the next step and hear the proposals of the Mayors for the prioritisation they themselves will set - based on the maturity of the studies they have - for infrastructure projects from an additional «pool» of 30 million euros.» He stressed that the resources for the implementation of the projects are already secured and reiterated the commitment to «clear timetables with specific milestones».
With regard to the timetable for the completion of the removal of danger in the road network of Epidaurus - Kalloni, after the landslides and cracks in the road caused by the severe weather «Daniel» last September, the Attica Regional Governor spoke of unjustified delays that had been observed for more than four months and committed to the final resolution of the problem. «If we do not take permanent measures immediately, the problem will continue to evolve. On January 7, I conducted an autopsy in the area. Today, I pledge to do everything technically possible to ensure that the road is immediately opened to traffic in complete safety for residents and visitors to the area and delivered, without further delay, before Easter.».
Responding to a question on the issue of illegal posters on central roads after the recent incidents for which the competent services of the Region, Mr.: «I want to be clear. I want to be clear. It is a matter of culture and a matter of respect, both towards the environment and the quality of life of our fellow citizens, and towards the law. And we are all judged by that. There is no way, at least for the next five years that I will be in charge of the administration of the Region of Attica, that I will tolerate anything that goes against the law. I respect the need of every entity to express itself, but illegal poster pollution will always find us against each other, regardless of who does it.» He further informed those present that where violations have occurred, the relevant fines are being notified. «This issue is not about the microcosm of our debate. It is about civil society. There is no way we can take a single step back from implementing the law especially on an issue that not only has urban issues but also has environmental issues. Dura lex, sed lex (i.e. «Tough law, but law»), he added.
Regarding the issue of the completion of the redevelopment of Faliriko Ormos, raised by the head of the «Atticus Circle of Cooperation and Trust» party, George Ioakimidis, the Attica Regional Governor said that the relevant procedures are being accelerated. «It is a top project for the whole of Attica, for which there have, in fact, been years of regressions and delays,» he said. Mr. Chardalias noted that by the end of June the approval of the tender documents will be completed, so that within 12 months the process of appointing the contractor and the signing of the relevant contract will be finished, based on the strict timetables set at European level for this major project, which has been included in the New European Bauhaus. In any case, the Regional Governor pledged that the construction of the project will be completed strictly within the 36 months foreseen, «in order to be delivered during the term of the current administration».
A special mention was made by Mr.Chardalias on the issue of Metropolitanism. «Without a metropolitan function, everything will operate in a fragmented manner», he said and reiterated the will of the new Regional Authority for vertical control of all major projects that affect the daily life of the citizen, especially for the civil protection projects, namely the fire and flood protection of the basin.
In closing, the Attica Regional Governor referred to the necessity of strengthening the understaffed Internal Audit services of the Region, in the context of the strong will of the new administration to consolidate transparency and accountability. «I am glad that, today, we are highlighting all the issues. Obviously, we cannot solve in one day pathologies of previous decades. But rest assured that on this issue too, step by step, day by day, we are demanding and can ensure absolute transparency and accountability procedures, so that we can change the image that everyone is the same and that no one does anything. Because they are not all the same. And because we are determined to make a difference,» he concluded.
