Greens angry over Akamas construction

THE GREEN Party is demanding that the government intervene over the construction of two buildings in the unspoiled Akamas region.

Andreas Evlavis, the Paphos district secretary of the Green party told the Cyprus Mail, “Our MP George Perdikis has written a letter to the minister of the Interior Neoclis Sylikiotis demanding that he steps in to bring the works to a halt and that the buildings be torn down.”

Perdikis wrote in his letter: “We expect that the government will end the lawlessness which threatens the Akamas.”

Evlavis said the Greens were fighting for the future of the  Akamas and its unique habitat “to ensure that it remains un spoilt for generations to come.”

The two construction jobs are private projects and are both well underway on the peninsula, an area known for its turtle breeding grounds.

Evlavis said: “The government is trying to avoid releasing a final plan to designate areas of the Akamas to be included in the Natura 2000 project, which protects particular areas and prohibits them from being developed.”

The Natura 2000 plan is an EU based programme and the EU commission heavily critisised the state’s first proposed plan, saying they had not included large enough areas in the designated protection zones.

Plant machinery travelling to and from the construction sites is also causing damage to the natural habitat and destroying local flora and fauna, according to the Greens.

The district secretary said: “We are angry, and if people start to build, it will be very difficult to stop them. As I understand it, the interior ministry has said that these two instances are being prosecuted and taken to court, but we all know that this procedure can take years and you can never be sure of the outcome.”

“The government keeps stalling for time to avoid releasing a final plan for the Akamas and to place someone in charge. This is a very sad situation and immediate measures need to be implemented,” said Evlavis.

 

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.