Vasiliko communities demand agriculture minister resigns

The nine communities in the Vasiliko area on Saturday called for the resignation of Agriculture Minister Costas Kadis for failing to resolve the issue of repeated fires in the area.

They also asked for a meeting with President Nicos Anastasiades to discuss the issue.

“The persisting issue of fires, which is observed in the area of Pentakomo, as well as the indifference and inability of the state to provide a solution to existing problems, troubles us beyond imagination and forces us to denounce the Republic of Cyprus to the European Union,” the committee said.

A major fire took place in Vasiliko in June in an open area filled with old tyres between Kalavasos and Mari.

It took eight fire engines and a team of 25 firefighters working around the clock to bring the fire under control.

Another fire broke out on Friday when a pile of waste and other materials caught fire in the area.

Although the fire was contained, it still burned for a significant amount of time due to the synthetic materials that were on fire.

Aside from their demand to meet with the president and for the minister to resign, the committee also said that “it will continue to fight until a solution is found”.

In addition, it said it will also continue with “dynamic mobilisations, with the first measure being the indefinite closure of the Pentakomo waste treatment plant and any other problematic industry at a date to be announced soon”.