What the Italian government could do with the money invested in useless infrastructures
By Caterina Fumero
Photo courtesy Diego Fulcheri via Flickr
For thirty years now, the Italian and French government, with the help of EU funds, have been trying to build a high speed train (TAV or TGV) that connects Lyon and Turin.
The people that would see their land being affected by this project have been protesting for decades, as the railway construction would cause huge environmental destruction and release toxic materials from the mountains. Moreover, the interests that lie behind it are questionable, as a big part of it will be paid using public money, but the profits would go straight into private hands.
Nonetheless, the Italian government is determined to go forward with the construction, often ignoring the studies that prove the futility and the damages that it involves.
Many Italian mayors that see their towns being affected, have joined to show how much public money is going into this useless project, explaining how their community could benefit by just a tiny part of those funds.
The government is determined to keep going with a project that has been proven over and over to be useless.
It has been estimated that the cost of the whole railway would be around ten thousand one hundred and seventy four million euros. To break down the math, this amounts to 158.712 per meter.
Here’s just an idea of what can be done with that money.
With just 1cm of TAV the mayor can hire someone to work for the municipality.
With 10m of TAV a small town can rebuild an old school, and change the school bus.
With 50m of TAV the town can take back the municipal water supply, and make people pay less for water.
We are destroying our planet, with no regard for the consequences, just for the profit of few
The list goes on and on, as there were plenty of ideas that would use that money for better causes.
For instance, the state of the public school system in Italy has always been a matter of controversy.
Students in Italy, starting from November to February, have to wear an extra jumper or bring hot water bottles to school, as the council doesn’t have enough money for the heating.
It doesn’t shock anyone anymore when school roofs fall on students.
Let’s not even start on the healthcare system, that is constantly underfunded.
And yet, money is not an issue when it comes to building these useless infrastructures; the government is determined to keep going with a project that has been proven over and over to be useless.
Again, for the umpteenth time, we are destroying our planet, with no regard for the consequences, just for the profit of few. The mayors of the valley listed at least ten different ways in which that money would be actually useful for the community. Schools, streets and hospitals could be restructured. However, those funds still go into environmental destruction.
Clearly the government’s priorities are neither the education or the wellbeing of its citizens.
