Gas station owners will hold a protest rally outside the Presidential Palace this morning, calling on the President of the Republic to intervene regarding the Transport Minister’s decree, which mandates the immobilization of vehicles that do not meet ADR safety requirements.

According to the police, the protesters will gather at 10:00 a.m. in the GSP parking lot and then march in an organized manner toward the Presidential Palace via Joseph X” and Athalassa Avenue.

Due to the protest, the police may implement temporary traffic restrictions in the area.

As the President of the Pancyprian Association of Fuel Station Owners, Savvas Prokopiou, told KYPE on Monday, under the decree, 80%–90% of tanker trucks must be taken out of service.

“There are procedures that need to be followed, but they take time, and afterward, once the inspection process is complete, more time will be needed for the necessary replacements and modifications,” he said.

“We, as gas station owners, fully accept this decree in principle; we are simply asking at this time, since we have not reached an agreement with the Minister, for the immediate intervention of the President of the Republic to provide a solution, because simply imposing a decree does not ensure safety,” he noted.

“Furthermore, there is no infrastructure in place to implement this decree; there is no competent authority that can certify the tanker trucks, and one must be established immediately,” he concluded.

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Source: CNA