“Violanta”: The investigations into the permit and Papastergiou’s signature

Investigations remain under way into the tragedy at the “Violanta” factory in Trikala, where five female workers lost their lives as a result of the deadly explosion, with the preliminary inquiry focusing on the way the facility was operated and on the regime governing permits and inspections.

Findings so far by the Fire Service point to an extensive, months-long propane leak from two large tanks, which is said to have originated from underground pipelines. This raises serious questions as to how it was not detected in time and why the strong smell of gas — which, according to reports, workers at the facility said they had noticed — was not investigated.

All of the company’s permits are coming under the scrutiny of the authorities, particularly those relating to fire safety, while it is being examined whether all required safety measures had been taken, with special emphasis on gas detectors.

At the same time, according to a revelation by Dnews, the “Violanta” factory had received its operating licence bearing the signature of Dimitris Papastergiou, an electrical engineer and the current Minister of Digital Governance.

The factory of the company “VIOLANTA S.A.” was operating under licence No. 339, with protocol number 1127, which had been granted by the Directorate of Urban Planning of the then Trikala Prefectural Authority.

According to a document brought to light by Dnews, Mr Dimitris Papastergiou, long before becoming mayor of Trikala and subsequently taking over the Digital Governance portfolio, was the electrical engineer who in 2007 had signed the studies for passive and active fire protection, as well as the studies for electrical installations, heating and fuel gas, on the basis of which the operating licence for the “Violanta” factory was issued.

The Minister of Digital Governance, Dimitris Papastergiou, referred to his connection with the facility in a post on social media, stating, among other things, that he had been involved in the electromechanical studies of “part of the company”.

“Five days after the tragedy at Violanta, and obviously the atmosphere in my city, Trikala, continues to be heavy, as the Thessalian soil receives the women who lost their lives.

A tragedy that we all experienced and continue to experience up close, as the people of the Fire Service carried out their work quickly and accurately.

As a self-employed Electrical Engineer, I am familiar with an early part of the story quite well, since in 2007 I was involved in the electromechanical studies of part of the business, precisely at the stage of the initial installation.

These studies were approved following on-site inspections by both the Fire Service and the then Department of Industry of the Region of Thessaly, while subsequently other fellow engineers continued the work, due to the continuous expansions as well as my later election to the Municipality.

I read with great emotion the stories of the women who were lost. It is our duty to stand by their families in any way possible. In our small communities, this is something that fortunately still works.

I am also following with interest the detailed work being carried out by the judiciary and the officers of the Fire Service. Because we owe it to these women and their families. And because we must see what went wrong so that it does not happen again,” Mr Papastergiou states in his post.

Recommendations regarding the propane tanks

At the same time, according to information cited by Alpha, seven employees have given statements to the Directorate for the Investigation of Arson Crimes of the Fire Service regarding the smell that existed in the factory area from the propane leak for quite some time.

Three of the employees are said to have stated that the smell was strong and definitely came from some kind of gas.

The shift supervisor also appears to have referred to the smell in his testimony. “I could not determine where it was coming from. I mentioned it to the production manager, but I do not know whether he passed it on anywhere,” he said.

According to a finding report from the Region of Thessaly, brought to public attention by Alpha, since December 2019 incompatibility had been identified between the operation of the workshop and the existing legislation regarding the placement of both underground and above-ground tanks.

In February 2020, an operating licence was granted, but with a deadline for technical restructuring, allowing a margin of two years.