PM to unveil fire-restoration plan in Penteli
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis will be visiting the Greek capital’s fire-struck municipality of Penteli on Tuesday, where he is expected to chair a meeting with local and other officials and unveil the government’s plan for managing and restoring those areas east and north of Athens that were devastated by an out-of-control blaze last week.
The first part of the plan involves taking complete stock of the destruction wrought by the blaze, which began in the town of Varnavas on August 11 and tore through forestland, homes and businesses all the way into well-populated residential suburbs like Vrilissia and Halandri. The second will deal with restoration and restitution, meaning rent subsidies for people whose homes were destroyed by the blaze and special loans for repairs, as well as anti-flood work in vulnerable areas, among other measures.
According to government sources, the prime minister will also address efforts to deal with the significant damage wrought to Attica’s natural capital. While details of what is being planned were not known by Monday evening, Mitsotakis is expected to focus on ongoing initiatives such as the new management studies for the capital’s forests, local authority funding for fire prevention zones etc, in order to offset some of the political backlash from this and other similar fires in the past couple of years. A key part of his presentation is expected to be on the new urban zoning plans being drafted for the main municipalities on Mount Penteli, like Penteli, Dionysos and Marathon. It is worth noting that the zoning plan for Penteli, which foresees significant development in the area, is already at an advanced stage as is expected to be put up for public consultation in September.
