The Ministry of Interior issued a statement on the occasion of recent statements by the President of the Famagusta District Government Organization (DGO), Yiannis Karousos, noting that Mr. Karousos' claim that the Presidents and Councils of the DGOs have no authority with regard to licensing is unfounded.
In relation to licensing, the Ministry states that the President of the Famagusta EOA referred in his statements to a "haircut" of the responsibilities of the Presidents and Councils of the Organizations in relation to licensing and that these powers were assigned to only one technocrat, who makes the decisions alone.
In essence, the Ministry of Interior adds, Mr. Karousos brought back to the public debate what we have repeatedly explained, namely that the issuance of urban planning permits is a purely technocratic issue, which requires specialized technical knowledge, and urban planning licensing operated on the basis of this philosophy even before the establishment of the EOAs.
The announcement also recalls that the transfer of powers to technocrats was a decision that had the unanimous consent of ETEK and was made in such a way as to ensure that the evaluation process would be carried out at two levels and thus avoid any delay.
Furthermore, the Ministry states that Mr. Karousos' claim that the Presidents and Councils of the EOAs have no authority with regard to licensing is unfounded.
"We remind you that the Decree on the delegation of urban planning control powers was amended following the recommendations of the Presidents of the EOAs themselves, precisely to ensure the ability of the Councils of the Organizations to examine and make decisions in cases of applications where there are broader dimensions that affect the formulation of policy in urban planning and include affecting the amenities of residents or even granting an additional rate," it is noted.
In this context, the Ministry of Internal Affairs states, it is up to the Provincial Government Organizations themselves to establish the most appropriate method, internally, so as to ensure faithful compliance with the provisions of the Decree and the laws.
Regarding personnel and staffing issues, the Ministry of Internal Affairs states that with regard to the reports on the staffing issues of the EOAs and the restrictions - according to the allegations - regarding salary scales and Service Plans, it is recalled, initially, that on the State side, all actions were taken to promote the Budgets of the Organizations based on the needs that they themselves determined.
The untimely promotion of staff recruitment by some of the EOAs is due to the delay in submitting their Budgets for approval by the Council of Ministers. The truth of this is confirmed by the examples of the EOAs of Larnaca and Nicosia, which submitted their Budgets on time and secured the necessary approval, as a result of which they are already proceeding with recruitment, according to their own timetable and needs, it is noted.
It is also worth noting, the Ministry of Interior reports, that, in the specific case of the Famagusta Regional Office, given the delay in submitting the Budget, the Ministry of Interior recently forwarded the Organization's request to hire 12 Permanent Employees to cover the Organization's needs, until the procedures for filling permanent positions are completed.
The Ministry of Interior states that it considers that the District Local Government Organizations have a very important role to play, which extends beyond licensing and includes both water supply and sewage, and soon the issue of waste.
And although, he adds, the licensing sector is a large area that requires continuous monitoring and improvement by the central government and the EOAs, the heads of the EOAs should not downplay the importance of their other responsibilities, namely those of water supply and sanitation and soon waste management, which are of great concern to citizens.
Already in some cases we have seen organizations that have begun to produce work and we believe that this example should be followed by everyone, concludes the Ministry of Interior.
Source: KYPE
