Inspectorate proposes action against officials over floods

The general inspector for public administration, Maria Papaspyrou, has called for local authority officials to face disciplinary action following last week’s serious flooding at Mandra in western Attica, where flash floods last November resulted in the deaths of 20 people.

In a report, the inspectorate highlighted alleged oversights and mistakes by staff at the Municipality of Mandra, the Elefsina town planning authority and the Aegaleo forestry authority over the past few years.

Those lapses include continuing delays in the launch of anti-flood works for the area and the approval of licenses for the construction of illegal properties next to streams.

Last week, after heavy rainfall submerged local roads, the mayor of Mandra, Ioanna Kriekouki, said there has been no progress in flood-prevention work pledged by the government, attributing the delays to bureaucracy.