| | Illegale bouwsels moeten verdwijnen.
Eigenaren blokkeren toegang
Op 15 oktober is het Uur U.
Hundreds of people, ranging from local businessmen, political leaders, residents and environmentalists, are rallying behind the government’s efforts to remove the illegal structures erected by waterfront businesses, ranging from privately-owned tavernas and cafes to large hotel complexes.
Legally filed charges, fines and formal documents to tear down many beachfront businesses, all signed by the Public Properties Agency of the State, are the basis surrounding the waterfront problem.
The problem came to a head recently when an association of local businessmen formally filed charges with the Health Ministry against these illegal structures. They said they do not fulfil any sanitary or urban regulations, but, due to their location, enjoy enormous economic profits at the expense of the majority of other businessmen in the region.
They have also filed charges against the municipality for granting them licenses, against the director of the public properties agency for letting them build on public seashore and against the Iraklion land planning commission for not collecting fines and not tearing down the illegal platforms.
During the last couple of months, public prosecutor Nikos Markakis, together with representatives from local government and from the public properties agency and police officers, have determined that an excess of 35 local businesses, among them several hotels, have trespassed on the seashore. These businesses were formally written-up for illegalities, were served with papers to take down these structures and were issued fines and some with jail sentences.
Last month when the agency sent bulldozers to physically take down the illegal structures, they were faced with verbal attacks, as well as some of the businessmen using their cars as barricades to block the heavy equipment. The situation became particularly tense when one of the illegal owners, threatened to torch himself, claiming that if the structures come down it will be “taking food from my children’s mouths.”
Finally, Mr. Markakis, together with Gouves Mayor Yiorgos Nikolakakis, agreed to give a final extension until October 15, providing that all illegal owners would sign a document promising to take all illegal platforms down by that time. Mayor Nikolakakis, who made it clear he was in favour of “absolute legality,” undertook the collection of all signatures. He said: “the extension was granted for social as well as humanitarian reasons…too many innocent people would lose their jobs during the season.”
While most owners of the illegal structures are mute as to what they will do, some are quite outspoken.
“When October 15 comes I will not take down the fence and umbrellas from across the road,” said Renate Listl of Porto Tavern. “All I want to do is to be legal and I hope that the Demos will do something positive about the problem, making it more attractive to help the local economy and the tourists. All the tourists want to do is to sit by the sea and not inside a taverna.”
Several environmental leaders have jumped into the foray, with one, requesting anonymity for fear of reprisals, labeling the Gouves situation as a “crime against the environment, as well as the State.”
“It’s a disgrace to have our beautiful seafronts marred by these illegal structures,” she stated. “And, it’s not only the small businesses that are to blame, but it’s the large hotels, too.”
Meanwhile, the heavy equipment stand poised for action and the entire community remains tense as the October 15 deadline nears, with some equating the situation with the famed Gunfight at the OK Corral.
Bron: Ko go
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