We aim to turn the Famagusta District Self-Government Organization (EOA) into the most productive and efficient licensing organization in Cyprus, which will record the shortest waiting time for the issuance of urban planning and building permits, said the President of the Famagusta District Self-Government Organization Yiannis Karousos.
In an interview with KYPE, Mr. Karousos stated that "citizens' expectations for the reform are very high and it is our obligation to do everything possible to implement the Local Government reform to the best extent we can, solving the problems which existed at the beginning of the operation of EOAs".
He noted that upon assuming his duties, he identified "a series of problems, which stem mainly from the lack of substantial preparation, which unfortunately was not what should have been done, with the result that today we are dealing with issues that should normally have been resolved by Cairo. However, from the first day we rolled up our sleeves and started working to resolve any problems or weaknesses that existed", he said.
As Mr. Karousos said, "during the preparation period for the operation of the EOA Famagusta, we found that the Organization was treated as if we were simply creating a Sewerage / Water Supply Board and the importance and volume of work and the high requirements were not taken into account which licensing would create. This is also the main reason why today we face difficulties in trying to move things forward and satisfy the high demands that exist from the citizens", he noted.
Our goal, he continued, is to “create an organization that will serve the citizens and not the citizens. We intend to transform EOA Famagusta into the most productive and efficient licensing organization in Cyprus, which, compared to the other organizations in the other provinces, will record the shortest waiting time for the issuance of planning and building permits."
In order to overcome the challenges, he continued, “we have promoted modifications that fall into the spirit of the tripartite philosophy, changes in organization and operation – improvement in communication with citizens – transparency. These changes aim to lay a solid foundation from the beginning," he said.
After stating that "in the province of Famagusta there is a comparative advantage", he explained that "because in the region there are only two municipal authorities operating after the mergers with the communities, with a total population of 55 thousand inhabitants, there is the possibility of easier coordination and handling of the works, which I believe they will allow EOA Famagusta to stand out."
As Yiannis Karousos said, "changes have been promoted in the organizational chart and structure of the Organization, since we want more soldiers and fewer generals. We want to create more positions for technical staff and service operators, with fewer managers and senior executives."
Also, he continued, “we have approved the implementation of telecommuting, since several of the staff reside in other provinces, in order to increase productivity and reduce the environmental footprint resulting from road travel. Equally important for increasing the productivity of the staff, is the cultivation of a culture that will escape from stereotypes, giving further motivation to the employees to stay in the Organization".
Also approved was “an overtime program, with a flat rate per permit, to speed up review times for pending planning and building permits. We are also establishing transparency, which is also in the operating conditions of the Organization and we have already started informing the citizens, through the EOA website, about the state of loans, debtors, water losses and various other things, which we will make public soon and we update on a monthly basis".
We appreciate, Yannis Karousos noted, that "for the purpose of establishing trust, it is necessary to have accountability. At the same time, decisions were made to improve the communication of the operators with the public, with the emails and telephone numbers of the departments and offices of the EOA operators, being published on the website, as well as the information on the hours of service to the public. The next step we will take is phone appointments," he said.
Licensing
Regarding the issue of licensing, Mr. Karousos said that "what we want is to build a single licensing authority, where the urban planning sector and building permits will function as one body and not separately. In this way, we will reduce the managerial positions and increase the technical positions, which will make us more flexible, since our goal is for the two procedures of the examination and later the issuance of a planning permit to be carried out by the same officer".
He also stated that "a lot of work that is done today by the licensing service should be channeled from the EOA to private individuals. If we strengthen our needs in human resources, effectively operate the digital system for issuing urban planning permits 'Ippodamos' and entrust part of the licensing to private individuals through ETEK, we will achieve a lot", he said.
"Technology will play an important role in the proceedings," he continued. We live in the age of artificial intelligence and we need to find ways to harness it and pass digital functions into our DNA."
Water losses and dealing with the problem
As Mr. Karousos said, "the percentage of free water in the province reaches 37%, while in some municipal apartments it exceeds 60%." We are talking about about 4,3 million cubic meters per year, which have an annual cost of around 3,5 million euros" he said and explained that "4,3 million cubic meters is about 100 thousand domestic swimming pools or 65% of the amount of water at the fence of Achna".
This problem, he continued, is addressed "by identifying and recording losses and thefts and deploying technology, through the installation of smart meters. I find it inconceivable that the initial approval given to finance the installation of smart meters was withdrawn," he said, and added that "I cannot accept such a decision that deprives the province of Famagusta of funds that were intended for projects in the province, itself at a time when similar projects have been carried out in other provinces. This injustice must end," he said.
He also said that he will inform the President of the Republic about the issue and will request "the restoration of the funding that will cover the cost of installing smart meters. I consider it criminal, while we know that we can zero water losses with smart meters, the installation of which will bring with it huge environmental, water and economic benefits, to cancel such decisions that at the end of the day will save resources", he noted .
Evolution of EOAs
Asked to state whether he thinks there will be an evolution of the EOAs, Yiannis Karousos said that "the District Self-Government Organizations also have an institutional role to play. I will personally highlight this role for the good of my province, I will claim and cooperate, always creating synergies with the elected Mayors, in order to establish conditions that will allow us to promote development projects in the province".
We have already coordinated our actions and with our joint letter to the President of the Republic we request the inclusion of the province of Famagusta in the organization of the Cyprus Presidency of the European Union in 2026 and we await a meeting with the relevant Deputy Minister. I believe that EOAs should be gradually strengthened with additional responsibilities that currently belong to the central state, such as crisis management, the planning and construction of projects of regional importance, lifeguard issues and others of a more local nature," he concluded.
Source: KYPE