Government halts construction at site of ‘tree massacre’

THE development of over 100 properties on the mountains above Girne described as a “nature bloodbath” has been halted and web site sealed off.

Taken from this week’s difficulty.

 

The “eyesore”, seen for miles round and the place two large cranes had been put in, turned the topic of a heated authorized and political row after the problem was first reported two weeks in the past by Cyprus At this time’s sister newspaper Kıbrıs.

The Supreme Administrative Court docket decided to cease development of the complicated began by the Güven Yapı Cooperative, arrange by the Safety Forces Command. 

After the court docket resolution, Girne Municipality officers went to the realm, beforehand a army zone, on Tuesday and sealed off the development web site.

As well as, the cancellation of the 2017 and 2018 Council of Ministers’ choices concerning the lease of this land to Güven Yapı Ltd for a 49-year interval was revealed within the Official Gazette and took impact on the identical day.

Prime Minister Ersan Saner mentioned that steps could be taken for the land in query to grow to be “forest land”.

“As a result of the mentioned lands won’t be used for army functions, the Council of Ministers determined to cancel its use as a result of it doesn’t represent a public profit and has been bought unlawfully and/or improperly,” the Council of Ministers’ newest resolution mentioned.

Hasan Sarpten, the previous head of the Biologists Affiliation, mentioned: “With the publication of the official resolution, we’ll work and observe up so the area can return to its pure state and full the rehabilitation course of. We’ll strive to do that scientifically.”

One of many legal professionals of the case, Emre Efendi, mentioned: “The subsequent course of will proceed to happen within the court docket. The data we acquired is that the related [construction] firm continued to work within the morning hours as effectively. 

“Based mostly on this, Girne Municipality was knowledgeable they usually sealed off [the site]. There’s a case on the court docket agenda and due to this fact it will not be proper to say an excessive amount of. Our most important purpose was to guard public curiosity. We’ve obtained an interim order to take action. We had no different goal. The subsequent course of will now proceed in court docket.”

Akan Kürşat, a lawyer appearing on behalf of the Safety Forces Command Güven Yapı Cooperative, mentioned in a public assertion that its members would use their authorized rights. 

“By placing up all their life financial savings and in addition borrowing from the banks, our shopper, the Cooperative, and its members, have already paid tens of millions of kilos in spending and bills so far,” he mentioned.

The assertion continued: “After Güven Yapı Cooperative Ltd accomplished all authorized leasing transactions, obtained all permits and fulfilled the authorized situations, the intention is to abolish the rights of the Cooperative members and their households, who’ve devoted their lives to defending the lands of the nation and to cease or stop development actions which have been began and progressed since 2017 with nice effort and cash. 

“It’s respectfully introduced to the general public that authorized rights can be exercised by resolutely standing in opposition to every kind of seizure, acts or administrative actions, together with the Council of Ministers’ choices, and that the Cooperative and its members won’t stay silent in opposition to actions aimed toward carrying down the Safety Forces Command.”

In the meantime the Council of Ministers additionally introduced that land belonging to Norman Alexander Shelley in Karaman (Karmi) was faraway from “forest land” classification.