South Corfu Mayor walks out of Solid Waste Management Organisation (FoDSA) meeting in protest
waste management
04 Jan 2020
/ 09:35
CORFU. Tensions ran high yet again at the meeting of the Solid Waste Management Organisation (FoDSA) as South Corfu Mayor Kostas Lessis and Deputy Mayor Socrates Andriotis walked out as a "matter of dignity".
Discussion of the first item on the agenda - the removal of waste to Kozani - had hardly got underway when the Mayor of South Corfu protested at the introduction. Mr. Lessis said that the text was "to say the least, unacceptable and is an insult to the dignity, honour and name of South Corfu residents and their Mayor". He warned that he will take legal advice and take the matter further.
In the introduction the reactions of Lefkimmi residents is one of the reasons given for the urgent need for waste to be removed from Corfu and the deviation from normal PESDA procedure.
Having left the meeting room at Marasli Town Hall Mr. Lessis stated: "The first item on the agenda, approved by the President Meropi Ydraiou, had an introductory document which should not have been there. It insults the people of South Corfu, talks about criminal activities, makes special reference to the illegal landfill and insults the Mayor. I could not, therefore, take part in this kind of board meeting which insults the people of South Corfu. I put my point of view politely and said that I wasn't in agreement with the text and would bring the matter to the Municipal Council meeting for them to decide on the offensive nature of what has been written and it will then be given to our legal advisor to take legal action against those who wrote it and those who approved a document that insults the people of South Corfu."
Statement from Meropi Ydraiou
The Central Corfu & Diapontia Islands Mayor and FoDSA President Meropi Ydraiou said that "The Hellenic Single Public Procurement Authority asked us to put in writing the exceptional nature of the waste transportation, attaching legal documents as evidence of the volatile situation at Lefkimmi landfill. We didn't agree to attach legal documents and copies of the police incident book nor to list citizens' names. Instead we added newspaper articles as evidence of the volatile and explosive situation which existed."
"Ms. Ydraiou asked the other FoDSA board members to propose whatever changes to the document they thought necessary."
In the introduction the reactions of Lefkimmi residents is one of the reasons given for the urgent need for waste to be removed from Corfu and the deviation from normal PESDA procedure.
Having left the meeting room at Marasli Town Hall Mr. Lessis stated: "The first item on the agenda, approved by the President Meropi Ydraiou, had an introductory document which should not have been there. It insults the people of South Corfu, talks about criminal activities, makes special reference to the illegal landfill and insults the Mayor. I could not, therefore, take part in this kind of board meeting which insults the people of South Corfu. I put my point of view politely and said that I wasn't in agreement with the text and would bring the matter to the Municipal Council meeting for them to decide on the offensive nature of what has been written and it will then be given to our legal advisor to take legal action against those who wrote it and those who approved a document that insults the people of South Corfu."
Statement from Meropi Ydraiou
The Central Corfu & Diapontia Islands Mayor and FoDSA President Meropi Ydraiou said that "The Hellenic Single Public Procurement Authority asked us to put in writing the exceptional nature of the waste transportation, attaching legal documents as evidence of the volatile situation at Lefkimmi landfill. We didn't agree to attach legal documents and copies of the police incident book nor to list citizens' names. Instead we added newspaper articles as evidence of the volatile and explosive situation which existed."
"Ms. Ydraiou asked the other FoDSA board members to propose whatever changes to the document they thought necessary."
