My focus is on improving the quality of life of citizens, promoting sustainable development and highlighting the unique characteristics and advantages of the Paphos district. This clear mark is given by the President of the Paphos District Self-Government Organization, Charalambos Pittokopitis, speaking to "F" on the occasion of the completion of the first year since the operation of the new Local Government organization that entered our lives from July 1, 2024.
Mr. Pittokopitis particularly emphasizes the importance he attaches to the issue of the financial management of the new body, speaking of the absolute need for transparency in the management of resources.
My top priority is to improve the lives of the residents of the Paphos district, by solving the problems that fall within the responsibilities of the HOA, as well as promoting innovative practices to upgrade the quality of life, he says. We will abolish the complex procedures and the lack of immediacy in serving the citizen and we will promote the policy of responding to every request submitted to us, within a period of one month.
The first President of the EDA Paphos also observes that of major importance for the achievement of the objectives of the Organization is the utilization of the central system that provides direct information on citizens' issues and will contribute to the immediate handling of the cases that come before it. The aim is for all citizens to have the opportunity to submit their applications electronically, he points out, and to be immediately informed about the progress of the process on these requests.
Regarding the issuance of planning and building permits, he said, we are immediately simplifying the complex and time-consuming procedures by adopting a new policy with a human-centered approach. The electronic system for simplifying the procedures for submitting and speeding up permits has already been implemented, while the process of hiring a new director and other staff in this department is in its final stage for the even more efficient and faster service of citizens. We are strengthening transparency, stressed the Paphos Regional Governor, with the aim of reducing the inconvenience and costs involved in time-consuming and bureaucratic procedures, while at the same time our goal is to facilitate the acquisition of a home and safeguard the assets of each Paphos.
A key pillar of the Paphos EOA, said its president, is the optimal management of valuable water resources. We aim to immediately solve the problems with the water supply system, the safety performance and the quality of the water. This will be achieved, he stressed, by creating a central water supply system in Paphos as is the case in other cities of Cyprus and by replacing the obsolete water supply pipes, which is already progressing. The implementation of smart water supply with automated systems and sensors, he noted, and the quality of the services provided in this field will be more than noticeable and economically beneficial for the citizens.
And all this will now be accelerated immediately, after the very difficult summer caused especially in Paphos by the destruction of the Desalination Plant in Kouklia and the great damage to the Mavrokolympos dam. In a nightmarish setting caused by these unexpected disasters, we managed to get through the summer season without cuts in water supply and with as little as possible in irrigation.
Charalambos Pittokopitis stressed that the development and modernization of SAPA is a key policy of the Organization. Our goal, he said, is to develop a geographic information system and an intelligent data monitoring system, which will allow timely and efficient problem solving. In the context of the new green practices, he said, we aim to fully utilize wastewater for biogas production and save energy and resources. We have already proceeded with the replacement of outdated pipes and systems that were responsible for the overflows that plagued the coastal area and that have now ceased to be observed.
My goal, concluded the first Regional Governor of Paphos, is a better life for every Paphos and a sustainable management of public resources, with the principles of transparency and sustainability being the spearhead of our spearhead.
