A protest rally organized by gas station owners has begun outside the Presidential Palace, demanding that the President of the Republic intervene regarding the decree issued by the Minister of Transportation, which mandates the immobilization of vehicles that do not meet ADR safety requirements.

The protesters gathered at 10:00 a.m. in the GSP parking lot and then marched in an organized manner toward the Presidential Palace via Joseph X” and Athalassa Avenue.

Due to the protest, the police are implementing temporary traffic restrictions in the area.

As the President of the Pancyprian Association of Gas 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 imposing a decree does not guarantee 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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