Government to force noise reduction in industry

THE Balearic Government is to force big industrial companies to start reducing the noise and vibrations suffered by neighbouring residential areas within six months. This will be one of the articles included in the Regional Budget, via an amendment put forward by the Partido Popular, and which was registered in Parliament yesterday. This amendment will bring forward the application of the noise law, pending the approval of the national law, which will be applied to all big industries on the islands, GESA, Tirme, cement works, quarries and the like. Once the Budget is applied in January, these big industrial companies will have six months to produce a plan of how they are going to reduce the noise and vibrations they produce, so that the neighbouring residential areas can be more peaceful. This amendment is being incorporated into the Budget because of a petition sent to Jaume Matas, leader of the Balearic Government, by a group of residents in Palmanyola, which is very near to the incinerator managed by the Tirme company. The amendment will also incorporate other articles to modify the Ports law, the object being to modify a provision in the Ports law to compensate companies which manage these installations who accept conceding several years of their concession to the Government.