The deputy mayor of Lisbon, Filipe Anacoreta Correia (CDS-PP), has presented proposals from city council’s (PSD/CDS-PP) leadership “to respond to the Glória funicular tragedy” – long before the various technical inspections underway have reached any kind of conclusion.
Proposals range from supporting the victims to designing a new technological system for the funicular.
Anacoreta Correia (council leader in charge of municipal companies, and mobility within the city) described the package as “an assessment for the future, setting up a team to design a new technological system for this funicular, involving, if possible, the Association of Engineers and LNEC [National Civil Engineering Laboratory], and the possibility of also rethinking anything necessary to provide unequivocal safety guarantees.”
The deputy mayor was speaking to reporters before the start of an extraordinary meeting of the city council, at which measures to support the victims and their families, as well as to establish causes and responsibilities, are to be discussed.
In addition to all the members of the municipal executive, the meeting will also be attended by the president of Carris, Pedro de Brito Bogas..
Asked if the proposal to design a new technological system for the Glória funicular means that the old system won’t be returning, Anacoreta Correia said that “it is hasty to draw that conclusion”.
“But what is unequivocal on the part of Lisbon City Council is that we have to ensure maximum safety and, therefore, without unequivocal answers that reassure the whole city and the country about its operation, it is natural that we cannot move forward.”
The PSD/CDS-PP leadership, which governs Lisbon without an absolute majority, also has a proposal for support and immediate response in terms of creating a municipal fund to support the victims of this accident.
According to the deputy mayor, another proposal is to honour and recognise André Marques, the brakeman who was in charge on that terrible day last week. The plan is to name a street in the city after Marques, as well as create some kind of “collective memorial”.
With regard to making information available, the council leadership has suggested the creation of “a transparency portal”, where all documentation relating to the incident can be made available.
“There are also recommendations to Carris: the possibility of awarding a lift with the name of the brakeman, the awarding of support to the family and the families involved,” said Anacoreta Correia, highlighting the role of Carris in taking on some of the social responses.
As to whether the PSD/CDS-PP leadership’s proposal is in line with that of the PS, Anacoreta Correia expressed his willingness to accept suggestions from the opposition, saying that “there is a great deal of commitment” in this direction, warning that “this tragic moment cannot be a moment of political exploitation, it must be a moment of unity”.
Regarding the assumption of political responsibility for the accident, Anacoreta Correia said that today’s town hall meeting is not the time to analyse politics, but rather to approve response measures. “If there were any political responsibility, I understand that it would have to be placed first and foremost on me – but naturally in my mind too, in my conscience, there has always been the conviction that you can’t run away and that is why we’re here. (Running away) would always be the most comfortable thing to do, but we are here precisely to take responsibility,” he said.
Source: LUSA
