Vasilikos communities to file complaint with EU against Republic

The nine communities in the Vasilikos area on Monday announced that they will file a complaint with the European Commission against the Republic of Cyprus regarding the issue of repeated fires and environmental degradation of the area, following the fire that broke out in the area of the waste treatment plant in Pentakomo.

“The coordinating committee of the nine communities of the Vasilikos area decided to file a complaint with the EU against the Republic of Cyprus,” said the Kalavasos community leader, Lefteris Foka, on Astra Radio.

“At the same time, we want to meet with the President of the Republic and have him visit the area so that he can get a personal understanding of the situation and finally stop the licensing of other industries in our area,” Foka added.

This comes after a series of fires within a two-month period, inaction by the authorities despite promises to the communities that the issue would be dealt with. This culminated resignation calls to the Agriculture Minister Costas Kadis.

“While authorities stated that they would examine the causes of the fire that broke out last time at Pentakomo and would make sure that it would not happen again, within a month we have had three fires. The last fire that broke out on 15 July Friday was the worst with residents of the area suffering from the fumes,” Foka added.

Foka also said that the area’s residents are deeply upset and intent on closing down the factory and all other industrial operations in the area threatening human health in protest events.

A one-hour warning protest will be held on Wednesday at 7.30am blocking the entrance to the Electricity Authority’s power station. Following that, between 9 and 10am the demonstration will continue outside the waste treatment facility at Pentakomo also blocking its entrance.

The blockade will continue indefinitely on a 24-hour basis by groups of ten who will be rotated every four hours, according to the announcement issued by the coordinating committee of the nine communities of Vasilikos.

Meanwhile, Diko deputy Christos Orphanides, in a written statement issued on Monday, question the wisdom of reporting the government to the European Commission.

He pointed out that the Vasilikos communities had previously stated that they would “take legal measures against all responsible” but instead were moving in the direction of complaining to the Commission, which would be a time-consuming process that would “yield nothing.”

He wondered whether there was a hidden agenda in the shift of approach.