When, on January 22, 2023, the former President of the Republic, Nicos Anastasiades, during one of those notorious inaugural tours he made before leaving office, laid the foundation stone for the Liopetri River upgrading project, some mocked him. This was because the project, which started in September 2020, was scheduled to be completed 2.5 years later, in March 2023. Apparently, the former President knew something, as he did not proceed with the premature inauguration of the highly-advertised project, which, if ever completed, would be one of the largest infrastructure projects related to the fishing sector in Cyprus.
One day before the laying of the foundation stone, the Department of Fisheries hastened to announce that the work on the project “is expected to be completed in November 2023, with a total cost of €11 million.” It’s worth noting that an extension of six months was granted to the project contractor, justified due to the pandemic and the discovery of antiquities during the works in the river area.
So far, so good… A six-month delay for a project is within the acceptable limits, especially when there are underwater works involved. However, arriving in November 2023, everyone realized that many tasks were still pending in the area, with the Community Council announcing mobilizations and stating that work had stopped. Then, the relevant state services became concerned. As reported recently, a meeting was held on December 4 at the Department of Town Planning, which oversees the project, with the consultants and the contractor to decide on the next steps. Two proposals were on the table: either terminate the contract and re-tender the project, or grant the contractor a new extension until March 2024 to complete the work. Eventually, after assurances from the contractor that funding had been secured, and to avoid further lengthy delays due to re-tendering, it was decided to grant an extension. However, another request from the contractor for an additional two-month extension is still pending, and it is uncertain whether the troubled project will be completed by May 2024. The project is co-funded by 75% from European funds and risks losing its funding.
The most unimaginable aspect, once again confirming the incredible negligence of this state, is that no one cared about the fact that dozens of families are on the brink of destruction due to the delays observed. These are the families of the 30 fishermen of the Liopetri River and the families of the owners and employees of the two major restaurants in the area, one of which has closed. In addition, Liopetri is deprived of significant income, and no one informs the Community Council when exactly the project will be completed because they simply do not know. All this in one of the most beautiful places in the country, which attracted thousands of visitors, both locals and foreigners, every year.
