“When the opposition pushes, when those directly concerned mobilize, as is currently the case in Thessaly, then the government is forced to appear,” said the president of the KO of the New Left, Alexis Haritsis, starting his speech in the Parliament, in the context of the topical question he has submitted to the prime minister about the situation and the future of Thessaly.

Mr. Haritsis referred to the visit he made at the beginning of the year to the areas affected by the floods, where, as he said, “the much-publicized “staff state” drowned in the mud” and noted that he is conveying to the Parliament “the cry of anguish and despair of these people, the people of Thessaly”.

“During those four days of downpour the total absence was revealed in the most tragic way government plan for the timely and effective treatment of such phenomena. The inadequacy of Thessaly’s flood protection and infrastructure projects that you, the New Democracy government, announced and supposedly funded a few years ago. Four months after the disaster, I found that the wounds remain open”, he emphasized, pointing out that in the intervening time “the farmers and breeders of the whole country are at the blockades, demanding substantial measures for the ever-increasing production costs, for the EFK in agricultural oil and for the amendment of the new CAP”.

The president of the KO of the New Left accused the government of responding to the justified protests of the farmers “initially with riot gear, chemicals and flash bangs” and “with the Minister of Rural Development talking about ‘party-motivated’ protests”, something he described as an “insult” to the “people whose houses were flooded, whose crops were destroyed, their production, their machinery, their animals lost, their means of livelihood”.

“And their anguish turns to rage. Righteous anger”, he underlined, while referring to the government’s announcements for aid to farmers, he commented that this is “communication management”, as neither the first round of aid has reached all the beneficiaries, nor has the final amount of the grant been known with as a result of which they cannot “start replacing the equipment or repairing the damage”.

With regard to the amendment for the agricultural sector, he noted that “the farmers of Thessaly had to go to the roadblocks for the obvious to finally come to the Parliament”. “In the meantime, however, there have been around 200 power outages due to debts,” he added.

Therefore, Mr. Haritsis called on the prime minister to respond and “commit” to “the rate of compensation payments” but also “to the housing assistance”.

He also questions him about “the direct interventions proposed by the Dutch experts”, since, as he says, “no substantial intervention has been made” neither for the direct irrigation projects nor for the removal of the transported materials.

“Answer if there will be special arrangements for the relief of the over-indebted households and businesses of the flood victims. For exemption from municipal fees and irrigation fees”, he added, while also asking about the reopening of schools.

However, beyond the “pressing” and “urgent” as he pointed out, “the key issue is what the government will do to shield Thessaly”.

“The weather phenomenon Daniel in a few 24 hours changed the map of the entire Thessalian plain turning it into a huge lake, wiping out thousands of acres of crop and agricultural production, livestock, destroying homes, properties, businesses. Scanning the social and economic fabric of entire regions,” he pointed out and added:

“The anxiety of the residents is how and if the region of Thessaly, the “granary of Greece”, will be able to get back on its feet after the absolute disaster. How and if the enormous economic, social and environmental consequences that undermine not only the current, but also the future living conditions of the people of Thessaly will be reversed.”

“The citizens of Thessaly experience a state of constant insecurity. They struggle to survive today and don’t know what tomorrow will bring. And the government is unable to assuage their anxieties. What is your plan for Thessaly? For her armor and reconstruction? For adaptation to climate change? Will you make the citizens and the bodies of Thessaly citizens so that their future can be shaped democratically?” concluded Mr. Haritsis.