Furious North Corfu parents confront Deputy Regional Governor
CORFU. They stormed into the meeting of the Civil Protection Coordinating Body, calling for their demands to be met.
Nearly half of the schools in North Corfu have been without school buses for two months, with the Deputy Regional Governor assuring them that the issue will be resolved any day now.
Having lost their patience, parents of pupils from Kassiopi, Velonades and Peroulades gathered at the Corfu Regional office with protest banners and slogans like 'Indifference, a mockery, two months without buses!'
At the same time, Deputy Regional Governor Kostas Zorbas was attending the meeting of the Civil Protection Coordinating Body in preparation for the upcoming bad weather.
The parents stormed into the ground-floor meeting room, expressing their frustration in loud voices about the ongoing ordeal their families are experiencing.
Kostas Zorbas left the meeting and invited them to his office. The discussion took place behind closed doors, and at the end of the meeting, Kostas Zorbas informed them that the deadline for re-tendering the routes that hadn't been contracted expires on Thursday. In the initial phase, there was no interest from bus operators for 31 out of the 37 routes, while for the remaining 6, those interested did not provide the proper documentation.
"We are trying to expedite the procedures as best we can, but within the limits set by the law," said Kostas Zorbas. "I believe there won't be too much delay. On Friday, the committee will start reviewing the documentation. I think we will have quick results to resolve the issue.
"Transportation is a complex issue, not solely under the control of the Regional Authority; there are other factors at play. We all have children, and I understand how difficult it is when a child can't go to school or when a parent has to take time off work, especially during the period when tourism is still active. However, there are certain procedures, and we've acted as quickly as possible within that framework. It's essential to ensure everything is done correctly, and this is primarily about the safety of the pupils."
CHRISTINA GEREKOU
