The Lazio Regional Administrative Court has blocked the uprooting of olive trees in Puglia for the passage of the Tap pipeline. The administrative judges therefore accepted the appeal of the Region led by Michele Emiliano, who asked for the suspension of the provision with which the Ministry of the Environment had started the removal of trees from the San Basilio construction site. The news was released by the mayor of Melendugno, Marco Potì. According to the Region and the Municipality, at this point the works are suspended until the hearing on 18 April.
With the suspended notes from the ministry, prescription A44 was declared as having been complied with, referring to the so-called phase 0 of the works, authorizing Tap to uproot the olive trees in the area affected by the construction site. The Regional Administrative Court suspended the effectiveness of the enforced measures, within the limits specified in the justification, pending the discussion of the precautionary request in the Council Chamber set for 19.04.2017.
In detail, the Regional Administrative Court considered that - since the explantation operations have already begun - the requested precautionary measure could be granted "for the sole purpose of immediate review".
Meanwhile, new damage has been reported in the locality of San Basilio, in San Foca di Melendugno, where Tap has to uproot the olive trees - and then plant them again in the same area - to start construction work on the gas pipeline microtunnel. The fencing of the whole lot A/1 was totally devoid of the metal fence on Wednesday, probably torn up by the most extreme fringes of the activists who oppose the construction of the work. The access roads to the construction site are once again blocked by blocks made with stones, waste material and tyres. The whole area is practically closed to vehicular traffic. The police forces are not present on site and work has stopped.
The initial permission given by the No Taps to the multinational to guarantee the safety of the olive trees abandoned in a hurry after last Saturday's demonstration, was canceled after the demonstrators learned what was declared yesterday by the Minister of Development Carlo Calenda who at the question time he reiterated the landing of the gas pipeline will be done without further delays. The operations of planting the olive trees in large vats are therefore at a standstill.
