The inauguration of the buildings of the Community Council of Drousia was made today by the President of the Republic Nikos Anastasiadis, announcing at the same time the granting to the Community of financial aid of 20 thousand euros.
Then, said the President of the Republic in his greeting at the opening ceremony, depending on the capabilities of the State, the possibility of providing additional assistance will be considered.
He also noted that in addition to the annual state sponsorship of the amount of 30 thousand euros received by the community of Drousia, will soon be promoted the regeneration of the core of the community, a project which will be ongoing, with the aim of completion by early 2020 , the cost of which is expected to amount to about one and a half million euros.
Referring to the project which was inaugurated today, he noted that it was a timeless request of the residents. The construction cost amounted to approximately 1 million euros, of which 2 thousand euros were paid from the State Budget during the years 430 to 2014, with the remaining amount to be paid by the Community Council.
On the subject, the President also referred to the questions that arose after the intervention of the Commonwealth of Drusia that they forced the community from the District Administration to pay an amount of 800 thousand and promised to examine under what circumstances it took place.
Afterwards, he said that from the beginning of his duties, he set high the priorities for the reconstruction and revitalization of the Cypriot countryside, with the design and implementation of projects and programs that favor new models of development, actions and networking of communities and consequently President Anastasiadis also referred to the modernization of the institution of Local Government with the increase of its responsibilities and strengthening as a central authority the efforts of local bodies, to note that despite the fact that "we had to face and to manage difficult conditions of economic crisis, we supported all those efforts aimed at the development and progress of the local community ".
Community buildings, he added, are now a point of reference for the community, contributing to better serving the needs of residents and co-existing with those of community services, will undoubtedly enrich the cultural and tourist product of the community, creating the conditions for prosperity and progress, as as well as spiritual and cultural prosperity, both for the community and the surrounding area.
"The integration into the building design of the Community Council, both of the Akama Regional Museum of Rural Life and of the Training Center, reduces it", added the President, in a visitable multi-site of Agricultural History and Culture, which highlights the aspects in the best way of rural life and the history of the wider Akamas region, while protecting and utilizing all those elements that illuminate the historical tradition of the place, as well as the heritage of our ancestors ”.
Having continued, all the conditions and comparative advantages to be connected and included in the educational activities developed by the Ministry of Education and Culture in the context of museum education, in the itinerary programs carried out by the CTO, but also in combination with the existing cooperation of the Community Council with the Cyprus Handicraft Service of the Ministry of Energy, the Museum and the Training Center will become a pole of attraction for a wide range of tourist and educational activities.
President Anastasiadis then said that taking into account the specifics of each geographical area separately, the Government attaches special importance to the communities of Akamas since it is an area with rich environmental, cultural and historical elements. At this stage - as he said - the Akama Area Plan is being prepared with the new urban zones that will respect the environment and at the same time the people.
Additionally, he noted, for the Akamas communities there is a separate article in the State Budget entitled "Akamas Consolidated Rural Development Plan" with an annual total amount of about 2 million euros, allocated for the execution of mature landscaping and improvement projects.
He added that an additional amount for development projects is provided through the European Rural Development Program, noting that in the recent invitation from the European Funds Unit of the Ministry of Interior to submit applications for proposed co-financed projects, the Paphos District Administration will submit new projects for with the expected funding amounting to around 2 million euros.
He further noted that another component is the expected decree from the Ministry of Agriculture after consultation with the Department of Urban Planning and the Town Planning Council for the areas that are considered that there can be no development.
This, he said, will create the conditions for permitted development in those areas that will not be characterized.
As he said, yesterday he was with experts from the University of Thessaly who are preparing a study for the Troodos area and among them he was also a professor of environmental development and made specific reports on how wrong the image is that rapid growth is not allowed in Natura areas. He also expressed the certainty that in the measures and studies he will ask for a clarification and precise study of what is allowed and what is not.
"We are not the ones who will discover the wheel," he said, noting that there are European countries that say what growth is allowed, where growth is completely forbidden.
He pointed out that it is unthinkable for some to insist that they know more than those who enacted the regulations and then said that soon we will have the signing of the decree and a specific study to overcome them, because it is not only Akamas who is declared Natura.
"There is an obsession that growth is not allowed," he said, noting that this is something they do not agree with, "if you count the Natura areas in our occupied land and a host of others," such as antiquities and justifiably there when there are antiquities that need to be protected, he added.
Therefore, he said, "we should see how we use European directives and not how we abuse them."
The President then referred to the main projects implemented in the last three years in the region, such as the paving of Kathikas roads, ongoing work for a total cost of 1,1 million euros, the reconstruction of the Kneia core, continuing for a total cost of 1,6 million euros, the creation of a bypass road in Neos Chorio at a cost of 950 thousand euros, the construction of a community building in Crete Terra at a cost of 105 thousand euros.
He also noted that a paving project of the main road in Pano Akourdaleia is being promoted at a cost of 65 thousand euros, the second phase of the renovation of P. Arodon square is underway with an amount of 500 thousand euros, small improvements were made, amounting to about 1.5 million per year. space of the community offices of Terra with a total cost of about 110 thousand euros, and the configuration of Ineia square, amounting to 1.5 million euros.
At the same time, he noted, new projects will be promoted soon and more specifically, the Museum of Paleontology and Geology in Pano Arodes, amounting to 500 thousand euros, the regeneration of Neo Chorio core, amounting to 850 thousand euros, the creation of a reptile and amphibian center in Neo Chorio, amounting to 300 thousand euros, and the creation of a turtle museum in Ineia, amounting to 377 thousand euros.
He concluded that the project launched today, the completed development projects and a number of others that are being launched in the wider region, as a strategic policy of the Government which places special emphasis on the sustainable development of the Akamas region, are expected to make a decisive contribution to its improvement. quality of life of the inhabitants of the area giving impetus to growth, the creation of new jobs, the growth of entrepreneurship and the number of visitors.
Source: KYPE
Source: RIK News