Now is the right time to overcome disagreements in order to complete the project of rehabilitating the Liopetri River, says the Scientific and Technical Chamber of Cyprus (ETEK), while at the same time expressing dissatisfaction over the fact, as it states, that the Chamber's representative was asked to leave a session of the Parliament's Agriculture Committee.
In a statement, ETEK expresses "dissatisfaction and disappointment with the stance taken by the Parliamentary Committee on Agriculture during the March 11 meeting where the problems arising from the termination of the contract for the project on the Liopetriou River were discussed. Once again, the ETEK representative was asked to leave the room along with the other guests and journalists," it states.
In the room, the announcement adds, "only the members of the Committee and the government departments remained, while the Chamber was not given the opportunity to present its opinions and proposals, which aim to discuss and manage the crisis."
It is noted that "the exclusion of ETEK, as a technical advisor to the state and citizens, undermines its institutional mission for a documented and independent position on issues within its competence. Its absence from a critical discussion on the systemic problems of the production of public works, which affect the environment, the economy and the local society, harms the public interest," it added.
ETEK "underlines that addressing the problems requires sobriety, transparency and a willingness to cooperate. The fishing community cannot bear the cost of uncertainty and delays, while immediate and substantial solutions are necessary to avoid further adverse impacts," it notes.
In its announcement, the Chamber also states that "we believe that now is the right time, so that through a useful and productive dialogue, disagreements can be overcome, guided by the interests of the local community and the completion of the project. Since last December, the Chamber had requested that a final effort be made to find a compromise solution," it notes.
The same position, he continues, "is maintained today, emphasizing the need and importance of maintaining this effort for the good of the community, businesses and the environment. The Chamber once again declares that it remains at the disposal of the Department of Urban Planning and the bodies involved, in order to contribute effectively to finding solutions that will ensure both the interests of the fishermen and the sustainability of the project."
It is also noted that "the articulation of scientific and impartial discourse is in the public interest."
Source: KYPE
