About a year ago, there was an uproar over construction works in Akamas.
Even a minister was reshuffled because he had not noticed the destruction that was taking place, while the President of the Republic, in a dynamic intervention that was welcomed by environmentalists, immediately ordered the works to stop to examine what went wrong and to take corrective action, as well as to assign liabilities. “I am personally disturbed by seeing these photos”, he said, noting that the purpose of halting the works was “to see if all that is being done is in line with what had been decided”.
That was last November. In May, when asked if blame would be assigned after the completion of an administrative investigation, the President said, “Be assured that liabilities will be assigned. What we are doing is to ensure that they are properly assigned, taking into account the relevant findings and all that is needed to be able to assign liabilities”.
He had said that this would happen soon. And now, almost a year later, in October, no responsibility has been assigned to anyone, while the works—according to the responsible minister—will resume within October.
Just outside the Akamas Forest Park, in Latsi, a hotel complex is being built with a series of illegalities, as revealed by colleague Apostolos Tomaras in the Kathimerini newspaper. And why shouldn’t someone break the law when Akamas can be destroyed, and no one is held accountable? When the Church breaks the law in Cape Greco but refuses to demolish the illegal building?
On the beach of Saint Ermogenis, below the Kourion archaeological site, a restaurant already built on the beach is expanding towards the sea, obstructing even the passage of pedestrians, who now have to enter the water to pass in front of the building, but no authority intervenes.
In the case of Trimiklini, where there were complaints of illegal diversion of water from the Kouris River, an intervention in state land, the operation of tourist establishments, and a series of other irregularities, a committee was appointed to investigate the matter. The appointment of the members was made last December, with a two-month deadline for the completion of the work. Logically, the investigation was completed in February.
Since then, there has been silence. No information on whether irregularities were identified or if everything was done legally.
Now, the competent authorities are busy with the residence in Pano Platres, which interferes with the bed of a nearby river. But, since no one has ever been held accountable for any of the previous incidents, and since the state and the church can break the law, why shouldn’t an individual take courage and do the same?
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