The issue of the interventions of the Municipality of Paphos in Turkish Cypriot properties in Mouttalos was discussed again in the Parliamentary Committee for Refugees, with the Minister of Interior Nikos Nouris stating that the leases between the Municipality of Paphos and the guardian of Turkish Cypriot properties have not been completed in the area.
The Minister was called to respond to what was said by MPs about arbitrary interventions and pressure on users of Turkish Cypriot property by the Mayor of Paphos.
Mr. Nouris stated that the Ministry of Interior is conducting an administrative investigation to determine whether the Municipality of Paphos intervened in Turkish Cypriot properties in Mouttalos. However, he stated that the decisions at the 43rd session of the Turkish Cypriot Property Advisory Committee for leases in the Municipality of Paphos, have not yet been made and that the possibility of violations is the responsibility of the prosecuting authorities.
In a session during which there were tensions and complaints of MPs for arbitrariness and pressure of the Mayor of Paphos, regarding interventions in Turkish Cypriot properties, which were granted to beneficiaries, the Ministry of Defense defended the manipulations of the Ministry and announced a radical introduce income criteria.
Deputies of the Refugee Committee recently visited Mouttalos to see up close the issue that arose after protests by owners of Turkish Cypriot property. At the same time, they expressed dissatisfaction with a letter sent to them by the Mayor of Paphos, Faidonas Faidonos, and stated that he questioned the integrity of the Commission.
The Minister of Interior, responding to the deputies, stated that in the previous session of the Committee, offensive things were heard on his face, by members of the Advisory Committee as he falsified the minutes. He also said that in a letter he received from the Mayor of Paphos, accusing him of being a member of the Advisory Committee, he replied that he was making serious and unsubstantiated allegations and that he was targeting everyone, while calling on him to recall what he said was offensive. the Minister of the Interior leaves the Commission to function.
To the accusations of MPs that the Municipality of Paphos proceeds arbitrarily and with the tolerance of the Ministry in demolition of buildings, Mr. Nouris replied that the Municipality of Paphos as an urban planning authority has the power to remove illegal and dangerous constructions and that it is not the Ministry's responsibility to prevent to exercise his powers. He added that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is conducting an administrative investigation to determine whether the municipality began to intervene before renting a specific property. The specific investigation for Moutalos, as he said, will also investigate whether criminal and possibly disciplinary offenses have been committed by the services of the Ministry and will deliver its conclusion on March 2.
He also referred to the request for the creation of a parking lot in Mouttalos and said that this pre-existed since 2010 and that the Ministry made a spatial plan to see if the request is justified and what is the impact of the people who live there. He added that when the spatial plan came to them he saw that 13 properties were affected and in the process nine owners agreed for the specific impact. He stated that in other cases there was no serious impact and considered that the project is of common interest and should proceed. At the same time, he stated that the decision includes terms and conditions that provide all locals with free and exclusive parking, as well as access to their properties. In case, as he said, the terms and conditions are not observed by the municipality of Paphos, this is not legalized and the Police will have to respond if called.
At the same time, he stated that the Ministry is in the process of complete revision of the criteria for the concession of T / C property and, as he said, income criteria should be included, since some have been granted thousands of acres of agricultural and other land, while they have large property. He also said that there are many problems in the management of T / C properties and we all “have responsibilities” for the blatantly illegal transfer to some T / C properties from 1977 onwards.
Deputies fire against the mayor of Paphos
Both in their statements inside and outside the Committee, MPs criticized Paphos Mayor Faidonas Faidonos
The Chairman of the Committee, AKEL MP Skevi Koukouma stated that unfortunately, as it seems, the Minister of Interior is not ready to put a stop to the eccentricity and arbitrariness of the Mayor of Paphos. The report, as he told the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, that he is disgusted with the way in which the mayor of Paphos is positioned is not enough. Specifically, he added, while the Minister of Interior is the manager and guardian of the T / C properties, he refers the affected people to the Police, as if he has no competence, role and responsibility to protect the affected families. While admitting, he said, that no contracts have been signed between the guardian and the municipality of Paphos in the area where the works are being done, he refuses to get involved in order to stop the works, but refers to the completion of an administrative investigation in a month. By then, he said, the area's projects will have been completed and the investigation will have no substantive object. He noted that the tragic incidents and the illegal interventions on T / C properties in Paphos would not have taken place if the Minister of Interior had protected the displaced and their dignity.
DISY MP Costas Konstantinou, within the Committee, made serious accusations against tuk. Φαίδωνος. He described him as “vindictive, apathetic” and that “he works as he pleases, with the tolerance of the competent services” which allowed him, as he said, to behave like a “Roman emperor”. He stated in his statements that the response of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is clear that there was no lease and the mayor proceeded with irregular actions with the bulldozers having started months ago. He also referred to a specific case in which he pressured a woman to leave her house and told her that if he refused he would break the lock and occupy it, while his wife replied that if he did so he would set himself on fire and burn himself along with the house . He said that in another case, he drove the bulldozer to the house of an 83-year-old woman in an attempt to evict her, as a result of which part of the wall fell and the water supply was cut off for 43 days. He also referred to a case in which he “revengefully”, as he said, destroyed with a bulldozer a building under construction on a plot of land bought by the brother of a person who initially refused to leave a professional property on T / C land.
DISY MP Mariella Aristeidou spoke in favor of amending the law, so that the C / C properties can be granted only to displaced persons.
DIKO MP Zacharias Koulias told the Committee that the Mayor was wandering around refugee residences “threatening and extorting signatures” to give him part of their property. He also mentioned that the municipality entered a good morning in Turkish Cypriot land that was given to a commando fighter who fought in 74 'and demolished the greenhouse he maintained. He blocked, as he said, entire neighborhoods and entrances of people. Refugees are fleeing, he added, to make parking lots. He stated that at the next meeting of the Committee he will bring a bill to remove the right to be granted land to non-displaced persons.
