Coordination issues among authorities was the main topic of debate during a new lengthy joint session of three parliamentary committees, chaired by House President, Annita Demetriou, following the detrimental wildfires in Limassol district in July.
The three Committees will draft a report, which, among other things, will record political and other responsibilities, as Aristos Damianou, Head of the Interior Committee said, following the meeting.
This was the second meeting of the Committees of Interior, Environment and Agriculture, which was the presence of three Ministers and a Deputy Minister, the competent government services, local authorities and representatives of agricultural organizations.
The discussion is set to continue most likely in fifteen days so that environmental organizations and employees could table their opinions.
Damianou said that the next meeting will deal primarily with issues of environmental restoration, as well as testimonies of employees who were on duty those days. Damianou said that the report will reflect the events as they are recorded, the opinions of all the guests and it will record political and institutional responsibilities.
He also referred to a report by the Ministry of Agriculture, according to which a number of fire engines were withdrawn due to age, without having been replaced so far, and questioned the state’s preparedness.
Chairman of the Agriculture Committee, Yiannakis Gavriel, said that he had requested specific documents during the first meeting, but these have not been handed over to him. He referred to the communities’ request for generators and fire trucks and the need to give increased incentives for replanting vineyards.
Chairman of the environment committee Charalambos Theopemptou said that said that the sirens that annually sound on July 20, could sound as a warning for the public when fires break out.
He also added that there is technology for sending mass messages to mobile phones that are connected to a specific area so that the public is timely warned.
( Source: CNA)
