Eight senior officials at the Ilva steel plant in Taranto, southern Italy have been placed under house arrest, while prosecutors have ordered the partial closure of the plant. Magistrates have judged that fumes and dust particles from the steel works have endangered the health of thousands of workers and residents.
Eight people, including Emilio Riva, founder of Riva Group which controls Ilva, Nicola Riva, former chairman of Ilva, Luigi Capogrosso, former director of the plant, as well as five other senior managers, have been placed under house arrest. The shutdown may place in jeopardy the jobs of about 12,000 workers at the plant.
Meanwhile, Italian environment minister Corrado Clini and government officials in Rome have agreed with local authorities on an urgent €336 million plan to clean up the area. "I will ask for the decision (to seize production units of Ilva) to be revised urgently," Minister Corrado Clini said after a meeting with regional officials. "Our intention is to support the continuation of production activities at the site and port of Taranto," he added, continuing "The plan is not an answer to the judiciary but is a commitment to go forward. We want the company to remain in Taranto and at the same time we want the environmental intervention to be carried out quickly."