The infrastructure and transport
ministry said Friday that "any structural verification of works
in concession" are the responsibility of the "concessionary
party" after this week's highway-bridge collapse in Genoa.
The government has threatened to strip highways company
Autostrade per l'Italia of its concession after the disaster,
which has claimed at least 38 lives.
The ministry said Thursday that it has opened an inquiry into
Autostrade per l'Italia.
The highways company had said in a statement that it was
confident it could show it had respected the commitments of its
concession, having carried out regular checks and maintenance
work on the viaduct that collapsed, taking at least 38 lives.
The ministry said Friday that the "the priority of the
controls of the grantor (of the concession) are directed towards
(ensuring) respect of the convention's obligations".
Deputy Premier and Labour and Industry Minister Luigi Di
Maio, meanwhile, denied reports that the government was
reconsidering its decision to revoke the concession.
"I say this loud and clear - the political will is there. We
want to revoke the concession of Autostrade per l'Italia," said
Di Maio, the leader of the anti-establishment 5-Star Movement
(M5S).
"You cannot keep pretending that nothing has happened.
"These people continue to have the toll paid without doing
ordinary and extraordinary maintenance and it's time to say no
more.
"They wrote that the government is holding back. That's
false.
"The government is accelerating and it will revoke the
concessions".
State police and finance police on Friday began executing
warrants to seize evidence for the probe into Tuesday's bridge
collapse in Genoa, sources said.
The finance police took possession of documents regarding the
design, planning, management and maintenance of the section of
highway viaduct that caved in.
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