Portugal’s State-controlled infrastructure company has been fined by the GNR for failing to clear the trees, weeds and scrub alongside the IP3 road in Viseu, as required by the new fire safety laws.
The mayor of Viseu today accused the government of issuing plenty of propaganda but doing little actual work and said that in the coming weeks he will put teams on the ground to fulfill the State’s obligations, followed up by an invoice for the work done.
The GNR has followed the rules and has filed an infraction notice, citing Infraestruturas de Portugal for failure to cut back trees, scrub and weeds along the IP3, the road that connects Viseu to Coimbra.
The deadline to avoid such fines was May 31st this year and the Council now can carry out the necessary work and bill the responsible entity, in this case, the national road and rail company.
Fines start at €3,000 and can reach €120,000.
The mayor of Viseu, Almeida Henriques (PSD), accuses the Government of a "criminal attitude" to the situation along the IP3.
"There is money for so much else, why is there no money to save lives on this road?" said Henriques.
The mayor also stated that he had asked the President of the Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, "to solve a national problem from which this area, this municipality and this region suffers," and ensure that all rail and roadsides are clear of combustible materials.
It is hoped that other councils will be checking the rail and roadsides controlled by Infraestrutura de Portugal's and reporting infringements to the GNR.
The government has in place the framework to fine landowners so must lead by example or the effort put in by so many individuals to clean their land will lose relevance and impetus.
Comments
It surprised many of us last year to discover that Portugal had had for many years its own Clear the Verges law in their Statute Book but like so much else that affects heavyweight elites - unenforced.
If a vehicle went on fire it has the potential to spread the whole length of the EN125, causing unimaginable damage to the lives of people and property.
I own some trees that border a local road, but I won't cut my nice trees down if the government doesn't even obey itself.