News item | 13-10-2023 | 10:13
State Secretary Hans Vijlbrief (Mining) has given the advice today ‘Safe, damage-free and sustainable’ vreceived by the Disputes Committee led by Pieter van Geel. Van Geel conducted research into the differences that arose in the handling of damage and the reinforcement of homes in the earthquake area.
The State Secretary has often referred to the inexplicable differences in the handling of damage or reinforcement as one of the most difficult problems that he frequently talks to people about during his visits to Groningen. The committee recognizes this image and ruled that there are no simple solutions to this issue.
The committee comes to the conclusion that individually resolving the visible and invisible differences that have arisen is not possible without creating new differences. That is why broader advice has been provided that looks at damage settlement, reinforcement and sustainability. The main goal of the advice is to realize a safe, damage-free and sustainable home for everyone in a liveable district, village or neighborhood.
State Secretary Vijlbrief: “I will be working on the Commission’s advice in the near future. These recommendations paint an attractive picture of the future that I want to work on, within the limits of what is possible. To this end, I will discuss the possibilities with the IMG and NCG and will come up with an elaboration as quickly as possible. Until then, damage handling and reinforcement should not be delayed.”
In his accompanying letter to the House of Representatives, Vijlbrief writes that he emphatically wants to avoid making promises to the people in the earthquake area, or raising expectations, that ultimately prove to be impracticable or cannot be realized quickly enough. This has gone wrong too often in the past.