Neighbors and parties ask that the emergency plan planned for the chemical sector be streamlined
Two concentrations have remembered this Friday the explosion in the Iqoxe chemical company, in La Canonja, on the second anniversary of the deflagration that caused three fatalities.
Neighbors, unions and town councils neighboring the petrochemical estate have demanded speed from the Generalitat in the deployment of the Pla d’Emergència Exterior del Sector Químic de Tarragona (Plaseqta), as well as the drafting of a communication plan to react in the event of chemical risk and the implementation of more security measures.
A hundred people have paid tribute to the victims with a minute of silence before the company, and have sounded the alarm sirens that they did not activate on the day of the incident. In addition, the Bonavista Neighborhood Association has gathered some fifty people in the Plaza de la Constitución in the Tarragona neighborhood.
Implementation delays
The organizers have denounced that the necessary progress has not been made in emergency management and have lamented the delay in the implementation of Plaseqta. The president of the Federation of Neighborhood Associations of Tarragona (FAVT), Alfonso López, has stressed that the residents would not know what to do if a chemical accident were to occur again and has criticized the fact that communication campaigns have not been deployed to inform the citizens on how to act in emergencies.
López has also lamented that security measures and investments made are only discussed when the anniversary of the explosion approaches. “We know that the mobile messaging notification system will arrive in June, that 56 sensors have been installed, and that IQOXE has invested 40 million euros, but the rest of the year nothing happens, we only ask for safety for the workers and for the neighbors “, he has claimed.
The mayor of Tarragona, Pau Ricomà, has recognized the slowness of the administrations when deploying the Plaseqta and that it is necessary to write the communication plan to give “confidence and tranquility” in the population. “More speed is needed, we have the feeling that for a few months it has cost a lot to advance, I remember that even the previous ‘minister’, Miquel Sàmper, questioned the installation of sensors because there was no budget”, he stressed.
Along the same lines, the second deputy mayor of Vila-seca, Josep Toquero, has stated that it is “logical and reasonable for the concern” on the part of the citizens to face the delay in the implementation of measures. “We are in favor of the chemical company, it is an important engine of our economy, but as a local administration we ask for security for the peace of mind of citizens”, he opined.
Parties and unions
The mayor of Constantí, Óscar Sánchez, has been more critical of the Generalitat and has assured that “little work” has been done by the Department of the Interior. “If there were another accident, the reaction would be the same as two years ago, therefore, we have a lot of work left to do,” he said.
Related news
Members of other political formations in the territory have participated in the protest, such as En Comú Podem, the CUP, ERC or Junts.
The concentration was also attended by union representatives from the UGT and CCOO, as well as members of the IQOXE company committee. Its president, Fran Pizarro, explained that they have achieved labor improvements, such as an increase in workers, by thirty, since the explosion. “The feeling has improved a bit compared to 2020, but we are still struggling a lot in the field of social relations within the company because they are not entirely peaceful,” he assured.
Reference-www.elperiodico.com