Akamas roadworks will continue says agriculture minister

Agriculture Minister Petros Xenophontos said on Saturday that roadworks in Akamas will proceed and that they will not be suspended under any circumstances.

Following a meeting with all those involved in the roadwork in the area, Xenophontos made statements, emphasizing that the works would follow the correct procedure.

In recent weeks, roadworks have been heavily criticised for the differing vastly from a study drawn, with roads being much wider than foreseen in the study.

After the Saturday meeting, a visit was made to the Akamas area.

Xenophontos said that both upcoming and ongoing projects will undergo multiple evaluations by a group of experts.

After visiting the area on Saturday, the experts mentioned that they will return in ten days to provide a complete picture and discuss the next steps for proceeding.

Xenophontos also sent the message that they are proceeding with respect to Akamas, noting that Akamas is the jewel of the region and they will preserve it.

The minister added that everything will be carried out transparently, saying that the Ad Hoc committee will also be informed, and the communities will be informed. When asked about this, Xenophontos noted that the project contractor, in the context of the meeting, stated that he would provide the necessary time for properly re-evaluating ongoing projects and making the right moves.

“If we need to demolish something, we will demolish it as the experts tell us,” Xenophontos said, adding that if a mistake has been made, they should correct it.

He also said that the investigation will continue.

“Our philosophy is to protect Akamas, and we will continue the right process for the benefit of Akamas,” he said.

Last month, Auditor-general Odysseas Michaelides slammed the agriculture ministry’s choice of investigator to inspect the controversial roadworks, as the individual is an officer seconded from the forestry department, which had previously claimed there were no deviations in the works.

He added that also during his site visit to the area, aside from the road widening violations, there was also a new road created from Lara beach, which was also a violation.

Also last month, the Environment Department and the Game Fund both officially acknowledged that that there had been violations, and this was after the audit service, who visited the area last week agreed.