Residents of the communities of Mitsero, Agrokipia, Malounda, Aredio, Agios Ioannis, Kato Moni, Orounta, and Menoiko will gather tomorrow morning outside the Supreme Court to protest the relocation and establishment of an asphalt plant from the Idali area to the Mitsero area.
In statements to KYPE, the community leader of Agrokipia, Sotiris Kyriakou, said that people would gather “to protest because we have not been treated fairly by this government,” while expressing his intention to take the case to a European court. He emphasized that “the only weapon we have is protest.”
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He also noted that the contractor has already begun work on the site, including grading.
Mr. Kyriakou further noted that the Court’s decision on the interim injunction to halt the relocation work is not expected to be issued tomorrow. “At the very least, we want to send some messages in all directions, because both our government and the Legal Service have forgotten about us,” he said, adding that the communities believe the health impacts on residents are not being adequately taken into account. He also argued that, in this case, the necessary studies regarding the operation of a factory in the area had not been conducted.
He also said that a two-month extension had been requested in anticipation of a meeting with the President of the Republic. As he noted, the communities had repeatedly requested a meeting, and now “the President has said he will visit the communities so we can speak in person—at least the eight communities.” Referring to the site selection process, he said that the communities had repeatedly requested that a carrying capacity study be conducted, adding that no such study had been carried out.
Over 100 Nuisance Facilities in the Area
The community leader of Agrokiopia explained that the area is already burdened with polluting facilities, a fact that had been acknowledged by the previous government. “We have over 100 polluting facilities in the area—slaughterhouses, quarries, livestock farms, pig manure,” he said, adding that it had been agreed that corrective measures would first be implemented in the area to reduce these disruptive facilities, “which constantly affect our communities” and, as he argued, impact air quality and residents’ health.
Mr. Kyriakou also voiced complaints about how government agencies treat the communities, saying that “they are trying to convince us that this is something wonderful that is coming and will not cause any problems,” he said.
He also said that after Nicos Christodoulides assumed the presidency, a new meeting was held and it was agreed to continue the committee, in which the Directors-General of the Ministries of the Interior and Agriculture would participate alongside a delegation from the communities. As he noted, approximately 32 issues had been raised; however, the subsequent meetings did not yield the expected results.
Responding to a question about participation in tomorrow’s protest, he noted that it is impossible to estimate the number of people who will gather, as the protest is taking place during working hours. “We don’t want to force people who are working to leave their jobs. We simply want to convey our message in a civilized manner,” he said.
He added that people are expected to begin gathering outside the Supreme Court at 9:30 a.m., while the court proceedings will begin at 10:30 a.m.
Source: CNA
