Filenews 20 November 2023 - by Dora Christodoulou
Problems for the businessmen of the port of Kato Paphos due to the two days of severe weather.
Many aspects of the renovation works that are currently being completed in the showcase of Cypriot tourism turned out to be poor workmanship, as they denounce, resulting in Saturday night's heavy rainfall, mainly, creating a nightmarish backdrop for businesses.
The owners of the businesses on the land area of the picturesque harbour, focus their criticism on the single shelter that was placed on all the premises along the pedestrian street and which, as they characteristically reported yesterday to "F", was coming from everywhere. Unfortunately, the situation created due to this problem essentially cancelled the ability of recreation centers to use the largest number of table seats they have, since rainwater penetrates the construction, they said.
A serious pending issue, they also argued, is the non-installation of protective materials on the façade and sides of the single shelter by the municipal authority. During the period of intense sunshine, they explain, customers suffer since the sun enters the shelter, while when it rains heavily and blows hard, as in the last 48 hours, there is not the slightest protection for customers.
It is not enough for the Pafos Municipality to say only that this and that is prohibited, they stressed. It must also be able to implement solutions, it is inconceivable that the port of Kato Pafos, which is the heart of Cypriot tourism, shutters down at the first bad weather condition.
Businessmen in the area made it clear on the occasion of the shortages and poor workmanship already recorded, that during the winter season they will close down since the situation as it has been shaped will not allow them to work with the numbers they need in order for their operation to be profitable.
Typical of the sloppy work that has been done in the area, the protesters also said, is that businesses were not even allowed to put up a small sign with the name of each restaurant or café. As a result, they said, grotesque phenomena are recorded when customers enter a restaurant and afterwards find out that it is different from the one they wanted to sit in. And this, since the single façade that was made with the renovation, has made the boundaries of each business indistinguishable, since there are no longer the names of each business on a sign.
