|
Town impounded, to be razed
08/02/2007 09:05 - (SA)
Rome - An entire town, comprising 50 buildings and 435 apartments built illegally around a Naples port by the La Camorra mafia, has been impounded and could be razed, Italian media reported on Wednesday.
Judging from satellite images, all the buildings, which are complete and ready to be inhabited, have emerged in less than three years, mushrooming on land set aside for vegetable gardens in the northeastern Naples suburb of Casalnueovo.
Not a single building permit had been issued and authorities claimed they had not even been officially notified about the project, according to the Corriere della Sera paper.
Phoney town-planning licences and well-placed accomplices within different city government departments were reportedly used to hook the town up to running water and electricity.
The mayor meanwhile insisted he didn't "even know where these illegal buildings are", but said he was prepared to order the destruction of all the illicit structures, Corriere della Sera reported.
Many of the apartments have already been sold and five are already occupied, according to the paper.
Construction not up to standards
A preliminary investigation into the matter has revealed that most of the materials used in the construction were not up to par.
The reinforced concrete, the cement and even the electrical wiring were not in line with any Naples standards, despite the fact that the city is located in an earthquake prone area.
The head of the Italian senate's environment commission has reportedly written to the country's interior minister to demand that all the illegal buildings be completely destroyed.
He has requested an in depth investigation into links between the Camorra mafia and the local politicians who stood by as the town was built.
- AFP
|
News
