Assurance that the investigation into the case of the fire in piles of tires in Vasiliko, which occurred on Monday 13 June, will be in-depth, complete and where there are responsibilities will be attributed, Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment Minister Costas Kadis gave today.
In remarks on the sidelines of a conference being held at a hotel in Larnaca by the Pancyprian Association of Concrete Makers, Kadis was asked to comment announcement by Vasiliko Cement Works and its associated company Enerco - Energy Recovery Ltd, which refers to his statements about the fire in tyre piles in Vasiliko.
Specifically in its statement, Vasilikos Cement Works says the statement made by the Agriculture Minister during his visit to the fire site "was made under stress and was unfortunate to say the least." It will be recalled that in his statement, Kadis said that by visiting the site of the fire "he found that the separation lanes were too narrow, that he was sure that things were not working properly, and that the strength of the wind should have been anticipated."
The Agriculture Minister did not want to say more about the matter as he explained "at the moment the matter is under investigation."
"We are also awaiting the opinion of the Fire Service, we have received the report from the Environment Department," he said, noting that "this can be easily ascertained from photographs taken on the same day. I conveyed the image I saw by going to the area myself."
But Kadis continued, "but I want to assure everyone is that the investigation will be in depth will be complete and where there are responsibilities they will be attributed."
When asked by a journalist if we can expect fines, the Minister replied that "whatever is provided for in the legislation."
Asked to say when he expected the investigation to be completed, Costas Kadis asked for some time because, as he explained, "it is not only the report of the Environment Department, reports from other services are also expected and all the material must be gathered so that we can draw a general conclusion."
Referring to the workshop entitled Best Practices in the European Aggregates Industries, in the framework of the General Assembly and Forum of the Pan-European Association of Quarries UEPG, the Minister of Agriculture said that "it is an honour for Cyprus to host such a meeting of the European Association of Quarries. In fact, it is a greater honour that such a large Association with a multidimensional activity is headed by a compatriot of ours, Mr. Latouros."
He added that "the subject matter of the meeting is such that it puts all the issues that will be discussed at the heart of environmental issues and they are issues that concern the Cypriot reality and the Cypriot society."
"We will see good practices applied across Europe for the conservation of biodiversity through the activities developed by the members of the Association, for the promotion of the circular economy and for the safe installation of safety plants which is of great concern to Cyprus," he said.
He continued "we will learn a lot of good practices and exchange views with partners from all over Europe and I think this is very important."
The Minister of Agriculture congratulated Mr. Latouros and the Cyprus Concrete Makers Association "for their action and for the fact that a small Cyprus, which represents one thousandth of the quarrying activities in the whole of Europe, has managed to chair this Association."
In response to a question, the Minister said that "this is the goal, that is, through the exchange of experiences we learn. These are issues that are of great concern to Cypriot society and if we see how they have worked, for better or for worse, in other regions, what problems have been created, how they have dealt with them and how we have successful cases, all these are issues and processes through which we will also learn."
That is why, he continued, "I consider it very useful that these meetings are also attended by officials of the Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment who are present at the forum."
In his own statements, Antonis Latouros President of the European Association of Quarries and the Pancyprian Association of Concrete Makers said that "today in Larnaca a forum is taking place which is part of the General Assembly of the Pan-European Association of Quarries which will be held tomorrow in Larnaca".
"As usual, each country hosting the General Assembly on the previous day holds a forum which deals with issues concerning the industry", he said.
He added that "we have chosen five issues which we believe are very important both for the industry and for Cyprus in particular. Specialists from Europe have come to Cyprus to present these topics."
In response to a relevant question, Mr. Latouros said that the issues concern "biodiversity in quarries, recycling of excavations, construction and demolition, the circular economy, asphalt and good practices on how to place and operate it, air quality in quarries and surrounding communities and health and safety in quarries."
Source: CNA
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