Hundreds take to the streets. “Work on the Arcisate Stabio rail line should start again immediately”

What does a Mayor do when he finds his village cut in two by public works, residents suffering serious inconvenience caused by noise and water loss, and companies in difficulty because of an awkward coexistence?

He does the following: he asks his constituents for their support, to apply due pressure on the authorities (Lombardy Region and the Government), which is what the Mayor of Induno Olona, Marco Cavallin, did today, 19 October. He was speaking to the over 200 people present at the building site of the Arcisate Stabio rail line, at the entrance to the village. Those listening to him included local councillors of the villages in the valley, who were interested in this work, which has currently stopped for procedural reasons, for which CIPE ( the Interministerial Committee for Economic Planning) is the first guilty party. They have to decide where to store the arsenic-laden earth obtained from digging to build the rail line. Among the listeners, there were also several mayors wearing the Italian sash, and the newly-elected President of the Province, Gunnar Vincenzi, who is also a Mayor of one of the villages affected by the work: Cantello.

“I spoke with Rome (the offices of CIPE) and I was assured that the meetings to decide on the time schedule for the work would take place. Then, I heard no more,” Cavallin explained shortly after 10 a.m., from the top of a ladder in the middle of the intersection, with the Induno Olona banner. “We’re waiting for this resolution. We need it, because it is only thanks to it that we will know if the earth can be transported to Viggiù and Arcisate, and when the contracting company will be able to continue and finish the work.”

A few days ago, to unblock the situation, Cavallin put pen to paper and wrote an open letter to Prime Minister Renzi, to express his anger and disappoint over how the matter of the railway, the work for which on the Swiss side is already complete, was being handled.

Arcisate- Stabio, the Mayor of Induno writes: “Renzi, I won’t stop the rebellion.”

“Enough is enough, we can’t take it anymore,” Cavallin continued, to applause. “If no one listens to us, if we don’t get any answers, we’ll be back to make our voices heard, maybe to the authorities; for this reason, I ask the mayors present, to continue to support this action, which today is a gentle breeze, but tomorrow, could become something much stronger. We’ll never stoop to violence, of course; ours will be a determined, but democratic protest.”

The Mayor hoped the protest would remain strictly local, far from the party secretaries. For this reason, a request was made to lower the Forza Italia flags that some activists were waving.

At the end of the protest, which took place near the old level crossing, between Via Porro and Via Jamoretti, a banner was put up on the fence around the building site of the new railway link. “The railway has brought the village to its knees, we’ve had enough delays, we want decisions” was what it said, with the support of the mayors present, who shook hands.

The only mayor not wearing the Italian sash was Gunnar Vincenzi, who spoke on behalf of the public, from the same stage as the Mayor. “I’m here as a mayor and as the President of the Province, I could have worn two sashes, but in the end, I decided not to wear any. I’m here to help this area, because this building site is a disgrace, an embarrassment for the whole of Italy. And I’m going to Rome to tell them.”