Greens slam government over asbestos delay

THE GREEN Party has called on the government to take the asbestos problem in Cyprus more seriously, accusing the government of failing to live up to its own proposal, drawn up three years ago to tackle the problem.

In a message issued yesterday, the party said: “On December 4, 2002, after some strenuous pressure by the Cyprus Green party, the Ministry of Education finally submitted a proposal in which it stated that all asbestos in public schools would be extracted. This was aimed at 32 schools that include nurseries, public schools, public Gymnasiums and other schools. The Council of Ministers approved the proposal and after two years, the Green Party requested to see an evaluation report on what had been done so far.”

The statement said the Greens had asked time and time again for an evaluation on what has been done so far, drawing a blank from the Ministry of Education. After conducting their own research into the 32 schools it was discovered that little had been done to fix the problem of asbestos in the buildings.

Green Party deputy George Perdikis said yesterday the government was not doing enough to tackle the problem.

“It is blatantly obvious that the government is not doing enough, not just to face and fix the problem of asbestos in schools but also to follow their own agenda which they themselves drew up. We expect them to at least follow the proposal made and agreed three years ago.”

The Greens urged the government to act fast, not only in schools but also other public buildings. It added the government should undertake all safety measures while disposing of the asbestos from schools and that all schools should be closed during those periods.

Meanwhile, the Greens yesterday also called on the government to check all the licences that have been given to quarries in the mining zone of Mitsero, a village about 30km southwest of Nicosia. The Greens requested that the government look into the number of quarries in the area, suggesting there was too much mining going on.

The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.