Audit office says it’s concerned about roadworks in Akamas

The audit office said on Monday that the roadworks in Akamas at first glance seems to have issues and fail to be in line with what was agreed in an environmental study on the area.

Speaking to the Cyprus Mail after a visit by the auditor-general Odysseas Michaelides, spokesman of his office Marios Petrides said that at first glance there are serious issues, as the roadworks in the area seem to go against the agreed framework.

“We have asked for the documentation, and we will make recommendations,” Petrides said.

He added that the service has requested to see all the documents, including the research study done on the area, the environmental study and the workers’ instructions. Commenting about one road specifically, he said that the Toxeftras-Avakas road seems to have been widened by 10 metres, despite the agreed framework for the area saying that “roads will not be widened”.

Petrides said that they will make their recommendations after seeing all the documents and studying all the data.

Meanwhile, speaking on Alpha TV earlier in the day, Greens MP and head of the House environment committee Charalambos Theopemptou said that the house committee will be discussing it next Wednesday on November 22.

Despite the agreed upon implementation of the National Akamas Forest Plan, officially underway since September 1, environmental groups had raised renewed concern over works currently underway under the auspices of the Forestry Department, which is phasing in the first part of the plan – the improvement of forestry roads for use by private vehicles.

Terra Cypria, BirdLife, Friends of Akamas, the Greens and Akel have all recently asked for an immediate suspension of the roadworks, over suspicions that they are being executed in violation of precisely stipulated, non-negotiable conditions attached to the national plan, stemming from a special study commissioned by the agriculture ministry.

Those raising the alarm have asked for the environment department to conduct an onsite review of the situation prior to allowing any further works, and Akel has vowed to resurrect the topic, as well as that of stalled compensatory measures for landowners, in the parliamentary committee.

Deputy director at the Environment Department Elena Stylianopoulou said the department had received the complaints and that they were being investigated.

“We have received the information and in fact we have already conducted four to five onsite visits, along with the game service and the forestry department. We are evaluating the situation,” she said. An opinion will most likely be issued within the next two weeks, the official stated.