The Government approved this Friday a expenditure of 136 million euros for the hiring of air resources for the fight to rural fires in the next three yearsannounced the Minister of the Presidency.
At the end of the meeting of the Council of Ministers, which took place at the headquarters of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in Lisbon, António Leitão Amaro indicated that the Government approved expenditure of 136 million euros to enable the launch of a competition for the aerial device combating rural fires.
The Minister of the Presidency indicated that these are the means provided for in lot one of the Special Rural Fire Fighting Device (SAY) and “some air assets from the second batch that were more urgent”.
“The rest will be approved soon, but this way we can accelerate the contracting of resources for several years, a period of three years, with several resources of different characteristics, totaling 136 million euros”, he stated.
Leitão Amaro indicated that the “are you ready to go” contest and it must be launched “very soon” and that the air assets “must begin functions immediately as soon as the contest is completed”.
“Lot two has a value that is being defined and determinedbecause of this we did not approve it today. There are some aspects of approval in which we want to simultaneously protect the safety of the Portuguese and the effective fight against fires, and naturally protect taxpayers’ pockets”, he explained.
The Minister of the Presidency added that the work is “very advanced” and that it will be “a matter of weeks”.
“Very soon I will come here to announce the approval of the expense for lot two so that next yearespecially in the summer, we have the resources that the country needs”, he stated.
Source: rr.sapo.pt
