"It smells like gunpowder" in several posts where water sports professionals are active (speedboats, etc.) since, as the president of the Association, Dimitris Hatzidimitriou, states, in Ayia Napa there are disputed points that claim more than one professional. These are three points and according to information, some have already started operating illegally.
For his part, the mayor of Ayia Napa stated that the Municipality decided to award three accents, two of which were canceled after an appeal to the Central Beach Committee, while one was ratified.
Mr. Karousos stated that the Municipality will soon decide on what should be born.
He notes that the Municipality of Ayia Napa is the only one that announced bids not based on the legislation approved by Parliament but based on the instructions of the Minister of Interior, who had called on the affected local authorities not to implement Parliament legislation because it violates European law. .
Mr. Karousos also pointed out that the Municipality will have multiple revenues than it had for decades when no bids were announced. As he explained, only in one case from which the municipality received € 5.000 per year for the license it issued for a specific position, now there was an offer of € 60.000. We estimate that a similar situation will prevail in the other cases in which we will announce offers in the future, he said. He also estimated that the revenues from € 40.000 this year will reach € 300.000. The Municipality is expected to have significant revenues in the future from the rental of beds and umbrellas.
The president of the Association of Professional Water Sports, said that the local authorities could earn more money if they announce and award the offers in time. The backlog does not benefit anyone, said Mr. Hatzidimitriou, who pointed out that some people are already operating illegally, when the local authorities do not collect fees, since they do not issue licenses, while at the same time the state has losses, since revenues are not declared in Income Tax .
Mr. Hatzidimitriou also said that, although the members of the Association disagreed with the bidding process, considering that with their long-term presence in the various posts they acquired some rights, however, they accepted it and submitted bids either alone or in collaboration.
"I am very afraid that we will have" naval battles "soon"
Especially for Ayia Napa, where the posts are considered to be in an advantageous position, compared to other posts on other beaches of Cyprus, Mr. Hatzidimitriou stated that in the offers announced by the municipality based on the instructions of the Ministry of Interior, various interested parties participated, some of which they submitted hierarchical appeals but the Central Committee of Beaches has not yet issued its decision or if it was issued, the Municipality has not yet notified it to the interested parties, so that everyone can act as they deem appropriate, within the framework of the law.
As the president of the Association explained, the non-announcement of the decisions for three appeals, leads to the leakage of information about who was justified and who was not, something that creates great tension among the interested parties.
"I am very afraid that if some people start serving people illegally we will have 'naval battles' and I am not exaggerating," he said. As he explained, an accent was announced on a specific beach (near the port of Ayia Napa) and one of the bidders appealed to the Central Beach Committee, believing that there were some irregularities. The Municipality, instead of waiting for the decision of the Central Committee of Beaches, illegally announced a second offer, which it awarded, while the first appeal was already pending.
According to the professionals, the question arises why the Central Committee considered a hierarchical appeal that was duly submitted and at the same time an appeal that should not even have been considered, since it comes from a second offer. "Now we have two suitors for the same place, so the situation needs to be clarified as soon as possible," he said.
The complaint is in the interest of the illegals
Regarding those who operate illegally, without obtaining permits from the local authorities, the president of the professionals stated that they prefer to be reported rather than obtain a license, since while they are in illegality they do not pay the license fee, nor income tax.
They are reported by the Port Police or by the Municipality and when the first case is brought before the Court, their lawyer informs the Judge that another 10-15 complaints are pending, when they are tried together. For each complaint, a fine of € 200 can be imposed and with them they "clean up", said Mr. Hatzidimitriou.