Filenews 16 November 2024 - by Ioanna Mantipia
Bombs were thrown by the President of the Community of Pentakomo, George Economou, during today's regional meeting held in the presence of the Minister of Interior, Konstantinos Ioannou, in Parekklisia. Mr. Economou referred to the major problems that afflict his community, pointing out that apart from OEDA, an even bigger problem is the arbitrariness and drugs trafficked in the Pentakomo campsite. He described the campsite as a "drug supermarket" and raised the issue of fire safety, stressing that if a fire breaks out in the area, we will have a worse tragedy than the one in Mati in Greece.
"Where the state is absent, the night fills the gap," he said, explaining that the Pentakomo camp has been turned into a drug supermarket. "I went and reported it to the police, and the police forbade me to drive to the place. We are also at risk," he added.
The president of the community referred to two main problems that afflict the campsite. The first concerns the question of drugs. The second is that the campsite, which was leased to the community in 2011, then in 2013 was illegally granted a license to a private person until 2027, without a tender and without the prescribed procedures. "A campsite that makes a million a turnover a year was rented for €17,000 and I don't see anyone going to jail," he said.
For the record, we should mention that in 2019 the Guardian of Turkish Cypriot Properties decided to revise the rent paid by the Council of Pentakomo, which increased to €20,000 per year. Despite the fact that it had been agreed to sign a new lease agreement with K.S. Pentakomou as tenant and the private owner as manager, however, the signing of this lease agreement did not proceed based on relevant instructions, resulting in the issue being pending until today.
The president of the community spoke of impunity as well as the presence of arbitrary constructions at the campsite. "In this camping site, prefabricated premises have been erected without the required permit. Dozens of families use the campsite as a permanent residence," he said. He added that 350 families live at the campsite, of which 120 permanently, while at the weekend about 600 people are accommodated and in the summer the number reaches 1,700. "They rent their homes in Limassol for €2,000 a month and stay at the campsite for €1,500 a year," Economou said.
He underlined that there are issues of legality, illegality, subletting, urban correctness and fire safety, stressing that the site is located on Turkish Cypriot plots and that if a fire breaks out in the campsite, the situation will be tragic. "If the campsite catches fire, Mati in Greece will seem ridiculous. People will be burned inside the fire protection zones that have been designed. They have built houses with illegal infrastructure and if a fire breaks out, the fire brigade will not be able to pass."
The president of the community asked the competent authorities, through the EDA and the Department of Town Planning and Housing, to take measures to restore legality and force offenders to remove arbitrary constructions.
According to this year's special report of the Audit Office, the campsite is flooded with unaesthetic constructions, which do not meet the terms of the license and have nothing to do with the camping character of the site. It should be noted that the issue was raised at a meeting of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on 30/8/2024, in the presence of the Minister and despite the relevant instructions given, nothing seems to have been done.
For their part, the officials said that the issue of arbitrary constructions falls within the competence of the EDA and warning letters should be sent for the removal of illegalities and removal of illegal buildings and, once legality is restored, the site should be leased to another beneficiary through a bidding process. The Minister pointed out to everyone that the procedures concerning the decisions taken at the meeting last August must proceed rapidly.
Meeting at the Presidential Palace on the issue of the Pentakomo OEDA
Mr. Economou briefed the Minister of Interior and the other stakeholders on the meeting that is expected to take place with the President of the Republic and the Minister of Agriculture, on 20/11/2024, on the issue of the Pentakomo OEDA.
"We are sitting on an environmental bomb and the residents are in despair, we don't know what to do, nor does the government know what to do," he said, adding that the situation was out of control. Among other things, he warned that all 9 communities affected by the OEDA will rise up during Christmas if immediate measures are not taken.
Referring to the situation of OEDA, he said that the garbage of Limassol ends up in a bin and is buried without recycling. "It's an oxymoron for the government to allow this situation," he said, adding that it was outrageous.
At today's regional meeting, the community leaders of the 11 communities, Asgata, Vasa Kellakiou, Kellaki, Monagroulli, Moni, Pentakomo, Prastio Kellaki, Pyrgos, Sanida and Vikla as well as Parekklisia, conveyed the problems and requests of the communities to the competent Minister and to all the state officials involved, asking for solutions to the problems that concern them.
