Paphos mayor’s actions are an ‘act of war’

PAPHOS Mayor Savvas Vergas has been accused of an act of war by one of his own councillors.

The comment was made by DISY councillor Polis Polydorou following an apparent lone decision by Vergas to demolish a wall in the Town Hall garden last Wednesday morning.

The wall, which had been erected as part of the proposed revamping of the garden, was completely pulled down.

Polydorou, speaking on local radio yesterday, accused the Mayor of committing a ‘Casus Belli’- an act of war – by his actions and added that such provocative behaviour should be avoided especially in cases where the action is against rules and regulations.

Other councillors also expressed their disappointment as to why they hadn’t been informed of the situation. They said it was not the first time the mayor had acted in this way – informing them of situations after the event. They said the handling of public money demanded team decisions and not lone actions.

The wall had previously been erected as part of the proposed revamping of the garden. The work ground to a halt after Vergas voiced his dislike of a number of the new elements, and simultaneously, a row erupted over the use of the garden.

The Church, which had rented the land to the municipality in the past, owns it. But when the contract ran out, the Paphos Bishop expressed his desire to build a cathedral on a large segment of the garden, re-renting the remainder of land to the municipality.

Last week, Vergas said he had not secured the agreement from the Bishop of Paphos, Giorgos, prior to the demolition of the wall. He said when the Bishop returned from abroad he would meet him to discuss it.

Despite the furore, the general feeling amongst the local population seemed to support of the mayor with residents saying the wall was unsightly and was being used as a structure for drug dealers and prostitutes to hide behind.