The mayor of Paphos, Angelos Onisiforou, expresses his strong concern and indignation about the situation in the area of Minos, known as the Fishing Village of Kato Paphos, in his public intervention, talking about images of abandonment that offend the city and its tourist physiognomy.
Mr. Onisiforou states that the Local Authority will proceed with the beautification and restoration of the area.
The goal of the Municipality is clear: "a city clean, well-groomed and worthy of its citizens".
On Wednesday, he announced, the implementation of the integrated plan for the complete beautification and restoration of the specific area begins. It is our duty, he continued, "to ensure that every neighbourhood and every public space exudes an image of order, cleanliness and respect for citizens"
At the same time, they will proceed with interventions that will give new life to these spaces, so that they are properly utilized and phenomena of abandonment and degradation are not repeated.
Referring to the history of the issue, in a statement he noted that Minos was inaugurated in 2021 with the aim of becoming a point of reference for the region. However, five years later, the situation he presents is, as he notes, shocking.
According to the announcement, people live and sleep under trees, in bushes, in parks and in abandoned Turkish Cypriot properties, under conditions that, as it emphasizes, are not in line with a European city.
The images accompanying the complaint capture, according to him, a situation of complete degradation.
Mr. Onisiforou claims that, despite repeated complaints from citizens, there was no required response from the competent authorities. In particular, he states that the Police remains absent, while the competent services have not taken substantial actions to deal with the problem. At the same time, he criticizes the Welfare Office, noting that it monitors the situation without effective intervention.
At the same time, the offices and canteens built with the money of the citizens remain, according to the mayor, closed and unused by the Municipality of Paphos. The abandonment of the infrastructure, as he states, led to vandalism, as a result of which the premises were violated, damaged and turned into makeshift shelters and foci of disorder.
The picture described includes accumulated garbage, intense dirt and stench, elements that compose, as it is pointed out, a scene of decline.
The announcement also refers to the mosque in the area, which has not been left unaffected by the situation, as well as to the communal toilets, which, according to Mr. Onisiforou, have essentially been occupied, depriving citizens and visitors of access to basic infrastructure.
The mayor emphasizes that it is an area of about 10,000 square meters, which includes buildings, green areas and a playground, while it is in the immediate vicinity of important archaeological sites and tourist attractions that attract thousands of visitors annually. Despite the importance of the area, he emphasizes that the space has been left to its own devices.
Referring to the responsibilities, Mr. Onisiforou points out that these do not lie only with one body, but with all those who were aware of the situation and did not take the necessary actions. It names the Police, the Social Welfare Services, the Health Services, as well as the Municipality of Paphos itself.
"We cannot talk about development, tourism and quality of life when we allow such images in the heart of Kato Paphos," he notes, calling for the immediate mobilization of all those involved.
In conclusion, the mayor emphasizes that Minos does not need any more promises, but immediate interventions that include cleaning the area, strengthening policing, social intervention, utilization of existing building facilities and restoration of order and dignity.
As he states, the current image of the space is not just abandonment, but "shame", attributing the responsibility to the indifference of all those who had the ability to act and did not do so.
