Filenews 17 June 2024 - by Sofia Ioannou
The works on the road network of Akamas remain on ice until today, with the impasse that has been created creating reasonable concerns about the progress of the projects.
Six whole months after the decision to freeze the works, due to the problematic plans that triggered a wave of reactions, competent and involved bodies have still not managed to find the end of the thread.
As a result, the issue of the road network in the Akamas National Park remains open while serious questions arise in relation to the attribution of responsibilities, changes to the original design and what will happen next.
Background
The works began in September 2023, when the contractor had received the green light from the Department of Forests for the commencement of works in order to implement the first phase of the improvement of part of the road network of the Akamas National Forest Park.
The design, among other things, provided for the improvement of existing roads with a total length of 13.4 kilometers within the forest park. The aim of the projects was essentially to upgrade the road network, enhance safety in transportation, but also facilitate visitors during their transition to the communities of Akamas.
While the project was on track, with the company Cyfield, which was the contractor of the project, acting on the basis of the plans given by the designer, and the officers of the Department of Forests supervising the progress of the works, the gaps and omissions in the design began to appear, causing reactions from environmental organizations and citizens.
With photos of the works flooding the internet and voices increasing, the issue soon came before the Ministry of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Environment and the President of the Republic, Mr. Nikos Christodoulides, resulting in December 2023, the Council of Ministers deciding to stop the works.
The former Minister of Agriculture, Petros Xenofontos, in statements after the decision, had said that the projects would proceed after having been reassessed by a team of experts who have experience in environmental impact assessment and have designed and implemented roads within protected areas and after everything was done with the "right procedure".
The reassessment and necessary changes
In the months that followed, a number of important decisions were taken. The most important development, however, came with the decision of the Council of Ministers to transfer the responsibility of the project from the Department of Forests to the General Directorate of Environment of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. A decision by which he essentially attributed part of the responsibility for serious mistakes to the Department of Forests itself.
At the same time, the project was re-evaluated by a group of expert experts in order to put more emphasis on the sustainability of the project, the protection of the environment and the avoidance of repeated mistakes that would further endanger Akamas.
These events understandably raise questions about the initial design of the project and what procedure was followed. Questions about whether the provisions of the environmental study were followed and to what extent there were omissions and failures as well as whether the terms of the ecological report had been given by the competent authority to the designers to be taken into account in the construction works.
Revised plan and the location of communities
In the previous days, the issue of the projects came to the surface again when the Minister of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment Maria Panayiotou, accompanied by all the competent services, informed the residents of the Akamas communities about the revised road network plan and the other projects and functions of the sustainable development plan of the Akamas National Forest Park. According to the briefing, the revised plan has significant changes, as it provides for limited improvements as well as the removal of a large part of the works.
This position, however, did not leave the communities of the region at all satisfied, which will give their proposals in writing, while they will also seek a meeting with President Christodoulides.
Continuation or procedures from the beginning?
The main question that arises, however, concerns the future of the project and of Akamas itself.
The competent bodies hold in their hands the national wealth of Cyprus. A unique ecosystem, of particular value, with wildlife and diversity of Cypriot fauna and flora. A habitat that they have a duty to protect by ensuring proper planning for every project done in the Akamas National Park.
With the revised plan now in its final stages, stakeholders are called upon to make decisions soon.
The solution to the impasse may lie not only in reassessing the design, but also in restarting the entire project under entirely new conditions. With a new designer and a new contractor taking over its implementation.
According to the presentation of the Minister of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment Maria Panayiotou, the revised plan has major and significant changes. This means that the option of continuing the existing contract will inevitably lead to negotiations in order to agree new prices, new tasks and implementation times. A complex process, which is expected to lead to further delays but possibly also to friction, jeopardizing the implementation of the project.
The termination of the existing contract by settling any pending issues and conducting a new tender, based on the new terms, is perhaps the way out that everyone is looking for. Besides, the new tender should be announced under the strictest conditions for the protection of the environment, on the basis of the new design of the project to avoid new adventures. The re-conduct of the tender will ensure without further delays the implementation of the projects and the achievement of the goals set for Akamas and with the sole aim of the good of the National Forest Park, which must always be prioritised.
