‘Disastrous’ Akamas decisions must be reversed

Restarting works in Akamas would be a terrible mistake, head of the Green Party Giorgos Perdikis said on Friday after a meeting with Agriculture Minister Maria Panayiotou.

Calling the matter as the “crisis at the Akamas peninsula” Perdikis told reporters: “the decisions taken at least in the past 10 years have been disastrous for Akamas, turning a conservation area into a recreational area, an amusement park, and these decisions must be reversed by the present government.”

The meeting with Panayiotou largely focused on the controversial roadworks at Akamas, where Perdikis underlined that the order of things should be first deciding what the projects are, who they will benefit and then proceeding with the works.

“You don’t put the cart in front of the horse.”

Minister stays mum

A delegation from the party met with the minister, after which Perdikis described her as remaining tight-lipped over the matter.

“She limited herself to saying that she was studying (the investigation) very carefully and thoroughly.”

Last month, an administrative investigation into the Akamas road works was handed over to the agriculture minister.

“She did not give us any information about the findings, she was more reticent than the president was. She was not able to give us a timetable when the study of the findings would be complete and any action would be taken,” Perdikis added.

Decisions ‘in the coming days’

Discussing the road works, the party leader said the possibility of starting the road works would be a step in the wrong direction “and this is something the president knows.”

“It’s one thing to create projects for thousands of private cars, than projects that need 30 to 40 small buses.”

He underlined the party’s position is that there should be public electric buses from the park with drivers, tour guides and mechanics from the area to create jobs.

Parking spots should be in the communities rather than the park, which is where they are currently planned out to be, he said.

“We explained to the minister which projects should be demolished, which should be repaired but primarily we explained that if the use of this road network does not change, if the planning does not change, the destruction of the environment will continue, with the roads used by thousands of cars.

“This will be without any benefit to the communities,” Perdikis underlined.

He stressed that once the investigation is handed to the auditor general, parliament and the public, people responsible should be held accountable “whoever they may be.”

Panayiotou told the party its suggestions would be shared with the relevant government bodies and decisions will be taken to cabinet based on the suggestions of experts, expected in the next few days.