Burnt-out buildings bear witness to what happened at Lefkimmi landfill facility

The Mayor, Regional Governor and local authority representatives are furious with the legal and police authorities because of the fire, which once again destroyed the facilities at Lefkimmi landfill. Mr. Nikolouzos has pressed charges against persons unknown and told Enimerosi that he is prepared to take action against the facility’s security company. According to evidence, the fire broke out in the early hours of Sunday 6^th May.

Sabotage

The photos and video clearly show the destructive ‘rage’ at the gate and all the doors that were broken down, the broken windows and the multiple points of origin of the fire in the separate buildings, machinery and equipment. The arsonists even used the fire hoses as fuses which they lit in order to burn down the perimeter.

The facility security guard saw the smoke when it was almost Sunday afternoon and called the police. Rumours have it that nearby residents heard explosions at 4am (if this is true, then the explosions would have come from the fuel tanks). The police called the Fire Service, but when they arrived it was already too late to save the three buildings and their contents. The arsonists also took a computer and amongst the property that was destroyed was a new control panel for the safety and operation of the facility. The panel had been purchased about a year ago by the Solid Waste Management Association (SYDISA) to replace the previous one which had been destroyed in an unsolved case of sabotage.

Provocateurs

On Monday a Municipality crew removed the tyres from the barricade that had been put up to block access to the Lefkimmi facility. This was the location of Saturday’s rally, which the Society’s President Maria Kontomari said had been organized  both to prevent the use of the landfill and to avoid a repetition of the painful events of 2008. They may have succeeded in the first – up to now – but not the second. The Society immediately claimed it was the work of provocateurs as did Babis Charalambos on Corfu TV.

Temploni – Act 2

Meanwhile, the ‘guerrilla’ warfare continues in Temploni, where the Mayor is due to meet with the Action Committee this afternoon. According to reliable sources, the Committee will insist on completing the 2-month truce, which was granted under the threat of the facility being blockaded, to rid the area of the Municipality indefinitely!

Yesterday Enimerosi talked about two sides to the actions. One of these is to expose the Solid Waste Management Association (SYDISA) for dumping waste on the mountain of rubbish although the waste-baler is surrounded by dozens of bales and is barely functioning, according to numerous statements from its President - Deputy Mayor Spyros Aspiotis.

The other is the ‘hard’ line which considers that blocking access to the landfill will force the Municipality to take its rubbish and leave Temploni.