Once again it seems that another community council is acting out of control without the necessary permits and approvals from the relevant departments of the state. This time, the community council of Pelendrio decided to cut down about 30 healthy trees from the area of the village cemetery.
“Security reasons”
“P” contacted the mayor of the village, Nikos Patsiaouros, who claims that the trees were cut down for security reasons. More specifically, he cited damage caused by tree branches to graves, while security problems also arose during funerals that endangered attendees. According to him, in recent years the village council has paid more than 15,000 euros in compensation for damage to graves due to the fall of branches from these cypress trees.
When asked by the mayor whether the written permission of the Department of Forests was requested, unfortunately we did not receive a clear answer. The mayor explained that his village respects the environment, while he praised the significant contribution of both himself and his village in various tree plantings that take place in the area.
Without permission
For the issue that arose, “P” contacted the Department of Forests and the regional official of Loizos Loizos, who clarified that in no case was any written permission given to the mayor to cut down the trees, let alone in such a way. He added that instructions were given to immediately start an investigation to determine who is responsible for the cut. Asked if he was aware of any security issues that existed, he explained that in cases where there are security issues that endanger people, what is done is to cut down as many branches as necessary and that in no case can 30 trees be cut down without leave for security reasons.
{Only € 1,000
However, it seems that the legislation itself, which gives Community councils the right to act undisturbed, suffers without calculating the cost. This is because the penalties set by law are up to 1,000 euros out of court that can be imposed by the Department of Forests. In even more serious cases, the case can be referred to court, where a fine of up to 5,000 euros can be imposed.
