"A deep institutional and personal bitterness, combined with indignation over a situation that directly affects the public health, safety, and dignity of Sardinia's third-largest city and other municipalities." Quartu Mayor Graziano Milia breaks his silence on the management of prophylaxis and environmental hygiene interventions entrusted to Proservice, an in-house company owned by the Metropolitan City of Cagliari.

At the heart of the matter are the serious and repeated delays—documented in recent daily news reports—in the provision of essential pest control and rodent control services, both on city streets and, even more seriously and intolerably, in local schools. "There is profound bitterness, first and foremost as Mayor and as a citizen," Graziano Milia begins. "We're not talking about a mere formal dispute or minor maintenance delays: we're talking about health and safety, social security, and the protection of our children. Seeing the schools and neighborhoods of Quartu, Cagliari, and other towns in the wider area suffer from chronic sanitation issues is unacceptable. A community cannot find itself held hostage by organizational failures that jeopardize urban livability and the peace of mind of families."

Milia then clarifies the institutional paradox in which the municipalities find themselves. "It's important for the public to understand the true state of affairs: the municipalities have no contractual relationship with Proservice, which until 2022 was a growing and functioning company. This means that the municipalities are suffering the effects of the current inefficiency, but lack the direct contractual leverage to impose penalties or resolve non-compliance. And this is precisely why the issue has become uniquely and intensely political."

While acknowledging that Metropolitan Mayor Zedda inherited a dysfunctional situation from the days of Mayor Truzzu, whom he appointed president and director of Proservice before leaving office, Milia makes a direct appeal: "I appeal to Massimo Zedda to reach a common position with the affected mayors and to ensure institutional continuity that is firmly opposed to justifying such poor service, further evidenced by the ongoing complaints against his in-house subsidiary. The metropolitan institution has the duty to fully exercise the 'similar control' assigned to it by law: it must verify non-compliance, apply the applicable penalties, enforce strict adherence to timelines, and intervene at the management level to restore minimum efficiency standards. The municipalities of the metropolitan area deserve respect. We will not retreat an inch on health, schools, and decorum."

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