"Tragic" described the situation at the Famagusta Road Transport Department, in Deryneia, by the Chairman of the Parliament's Transport Committee, Marinos Mousiouttas, following a visit by the members of the Committee, on Friday, to the free province of Famagusta.
In his statements to CNA, Mr. Mousiouttas said that "within the framework of the work of the Transport Committee, we plan on-site visits to all the provinces of free Cyprus every year to see problems and issues within the competence of the Ministry of Transport, so that we can have our own point of view. Today, the first stop on our tour of free Famagusta was the facilities of the Road Transport Department, which is based in Deryneia and in my opinion the situation is tragic."
This particular Department, he said, "is housed in a warehouse, which had been rented for many years and we consider it unsuitable, since with the volume of work that exists and which will increase, the staff working to carry out the work is not enough, while the working conditions are not suitable either. Furthermore, the space does not help the better functioning and contact of the public with the Services, despite the fact that the staff is doing everything they can," he said.
He added that "as explained to us, efforts had been made to relocate the Department but they failed. As a Committee, at our next meeting, we will officially request the Ministry of Transport to intensify efforts to find a suitable space so that the Department's work can be carried out smoothly and without problems."
Furthermore, "it was found that there is a terrible shortage of personnel, especially examiners. We were told that the number of examiners serving this particular Department in the Famagusta district is the same as it was five years ago," he said, noting that "this creates a problem considering the increase in the number of drivers and cars circulating in Cyprus over the last 10 years."
The second stop for the members of the Transport Committee was the under-construction Deryneia - Sotiras road, which, as Mr. Mousiouttas mentioned, "is two-lane, 4 kilometers long, with bypasses and should normally be delivered at the end of February. However, they have explained to us the reasons for the delay, which are considered justified and the delivery of the road will take place at the end of September," he said.
As Mr. Mousiouttas said, "the road, in addition to the road surface, also creates three drainage lakes in which rainwater will be collected and channeled into Lake Paralimni. We saw parts of the project, work still needs to be done and upon its completion, the road will provide safety and help people who travel through the Municipal Districts and Municipalities of free Famagusta," he pointed out.
The issue of "the maintenance of roads in the various Districts - former communities" was also raised. Based on the legislation passed by Parliament, the responsibility for their maintenance was transferred from the Department of Public Works to the local authorities. This was something that the local authorities had requested and insisted on, naturally requesting the corresponding funds, however, while they were given the responsibility, they were not given the amount of money, he said.
He added that during the visit it was noted that "both the President of the Republic and the Minister of Transport had stated that additional funds of approximately 12 million euros would be given to the EOAs so that they could carry out the maintenance of the roads of the municipal districts."
Regarding the third stop of the Committee's tour, which were areas of erosion on the Ayia Napa beachfront, Marinos Mousiouttas said that "they have shown us evidence of erosion. Various studies have been conducted on the issue by the Department of Public Works, while environmental and other studies also had to be carried out," he said.
Unfortunately, he continued, "these studies, because they must also go through the environmental authority, are negative and the reasons were also explained. The question that arises is what other suggestions can be made, taking into account that the issue is tangible and year after year the sea eats away the sand, resulting in the loss of the beach, which is unpleasant for bathers, tourists and locals in several areas of Cyprus," he said.
I believe, said Mr. Mousiouttas, that "with the cooperation of the various Services and local authorities, all these issues can be resolved."
Marinos Mousiouttas described "visits to various parts of the provinces as useful", since, as he explained, "you see firsthand the various problems that exist, you get to know the local authorities and the staff of state services personally, while at the same time it is a way to better highlight, not to popularize but to solve problems, both in the Transport Committee and in the other Committees."
Some members of the Committee, he said, "are also members of other Committees, such as the Interior Committee, and the problems that were raised before us today will be presented to it as well."
Certainly, concluded Marinos Mousiouttas, "we cannot perform miracles, we are not the executive branch, but we have the power, as a Committee and as Parliament, to make recommendations, to pressure and even to try to coordinate, to bring various Ministries and services into contact with local authorities, in order to facilitate their work, which in the end is for the benefit of the citizens of the Republic."
