No matter how many difficulties the Minister of Interior tries to unite the "wants" of local authorities and communities, but also of parties, in Nicosia, Limassol, Larnaca and Paphos, free Famagusta remains the most difficult task. Just a few days before the announcement of the final proposal of the minister, everything is in the air regarding the merging of municipalities and communities in this area and it will not be a surprise to adopt any scenario, even one that has not been widely heard lately, or was heard but is considered obsolete, according to today's report by Chrysanthos Manolis in the newspaper "Politis".
Indicative of the difficulty of managing geographical, social, economic and even political peculiarities in free Famagusta, as well as local interests and local obsessions, is the fact that even the feasibility study prepared on behalf of the Ministry of Interior includes four alternative scenarios. perhaps the most proposed for any other province / region. And we are talking about four relatively small municipalities, with a total population of just under 30 permanent residents, according to the 2011 census.
In fact, in addition to the four scenarios recorded in the study, they are unofficially discussed by the wider local community and some others, and without exaggeration, every possible variant of uniting municipalities and communities was heard, since from one point of discussion and then all five communities entered the dialogue. area, which claim either the establishment of a new rural municipality, or their merging with one of the new municipal schemes that will be created.
The basic scenario
According to the feasibility study, most of the advantages are ensured by the creation of a single municipality in free Famagusta, consisting of the four existing Municipalities, Paralimni, Ayia Napa, Sotira and Deryneia. Such a scheme would, according to the study, achieve annual savings of around € 7 million and ensure its financial viability, mainly thanks to tourism development in Paralimni and Ayia Napa.
When, after the delivery of the study to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the interest of the five communities (Liopetri, Frenaros, Achna, Avgorou, Acheritou) arose to set up a municipality or to merge with a municipality / municipalities, the basic scenario of the study was expanded and covered these communities. all local authorities in free Famagusta to set up a single municipality.
This scenario has been welcomed for a long time by the Ministry of Interior, which has not abandoned it until today, although it is seriously considering other options, since in the meantime a lot of water flowed in the ditch.
According to the mayor of Paralimni, Theodoros Pyrillis, who was asked by "Politis", the scenario for a municipality in free Famagusta (with all the local authorities) remains the official position of Paralimni, which, however, has no problem with other options. , even to be left alone. " However, the scenario for a municipality is categorically rejected at least by the Municipalities of Ayia Napa andI Sotira and the community of Liopetri, who demand their reunification in a separate municipality.
The alternative scenarios
In addition to the scenario of a municipality, the feasibility study records three other alternatives, with fewer advantages:
• The creation of two municipalities, with the merger of Paralimni and Ayia Napa (categorically rejected by Ayia Napa) and Deryneia-Sotira.
• The creation of two municipalities, with the merger of Paralimni - Ayia Napa in one and Deryneia, Sotira and the neighboring communities of Liopetri and Frenaros in the other.
• The creation of two municipalities with the merger of Ayia Napa - Sotira and Paralimni - Deryneia.
It is noteworthy that the feasibility study considers the scenario of a municipality in free Famagusta to be the best, but notes that "the examination of all alternatives shows that in any case the merger has positive results in relation to the current situation, especially with regard to the current situation." reducing the average cost of providing services to citizens ”.
The third Municipality and the interest of Xylofagou
Despite the fact that the Ministry of Interior sees as the best scenario the one proposed by the study, ie the merging of the four municipalities in the area into one, with the possibility of integrating all five communities, such a decision would provoke strong reactions, with serious side effects in interior of DISY. At some point the ministry considered with interest the possibility of creating two municipalities, a tourist one (Paralimni - Ayia Napa) and a rural one (Deryneia - Sotira, maybe the communities). However, the mayor of Ayia Napa made it clear in any way that any scenario based on a merger of Paralimni and Ayia Napa would be a cause of war for the city council and the community of Ayia Napa.
Following the decision of the municipal councils of Ayia Napa and Sotira and the community council of Liopetri to merge, the ministry seems to be leading to a decision for two municipalities, although, as mentioned above, it has not abandoned the choice of one municipality. According to the information, in a recent meeting of the Minister of Interior Konstantinos Petridis with the mayors of Paralimni and Ayia Napa, their intentions were reconsidered, but it was not possible to reach a consensus, since Ayia Napa discusses nothing but the union with Sotira and Liopetri.
The mayor of Ayia Napa, Giannis Karousos, told "Politis" that no other decision is meant other than the creation of a new municipality by Ayia Napa, Sotira and Liopetri. From there and beyond, said Mr. Karousos, we proposed various options, including the creation of three municipalities in the region, but also the maintenance of the Municipality of Paralimni as an autonomous municipality. This option is excluded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which insists that no municipality will be unaffected by the mergers. Mr. Karousos also said that the possibility is open for other communities to join the Municipality of Ayia Napa, Sotira, Liopetri.
Xylofagou also wants it!
The information of the "Citizen" states The community of Xylofagou (bordering Liopetri), one of the largest in Cyprus, is also thinking of merging with Ayia Napa, Sotira and Liopetri, with a population of about 8-9 thousand (6.231 based on its census), according to its mayor. 2011). The mayor of Xylofagou, George Tasos, confirmed to "Politis" that there are thoughts of merging with the above scheme. He said he submitted the proposal to the EU Council last Tuesday and a decision is expected next Tuesday, with the chances of being in favor of the merger. Xylofagou administratively belongs to the province of Larnaca, but Mr. Tasou told us that a significant part of the economic activity of the inhabitants is oriented towards Ayia Napa, while with free Famagusta the relations at various levels are closer than the relations with Larnaca, such as and cooperation at the local level. If the council approves the proposal for a merger with Ayia Napa, Sotira, Liopetri and is accepted by the directly affected authorities and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Xylofagou will be the largest component of the population in terms of population, if the permanent residents are taken into account.
Source: POLITIS / Chrysanthos Manolis