Plagued by mosquitoes

Bureaucracy has won and unleashed swarms of mosquitoes to feast all day and night on locals and tourists alike, without exception! Everyone is wondering whether or not spraying was done this year The answer is no. And the reason is that the Regional Authority delayed, failing to anticipate the possibility of appeals in the tender process and the lengthy adjudication that followed.

The tender took place in April, and three bids were submitted. A temporary contractor was selected but the second lowest bidder filed an appeal. The temporary contractor won, becoming the final choice. Then a pre-judicial appeal was filed, and that's where everything got lost! From the beginning of summer, the decision on the pre-judicial appeal was issued at the start of this month, ruling in favour of the second bidder. Now, all that's left is to finalise the contract and begin the much-delayed mosquito spraying!

However, it seems the mosquitoes didn’t get the memo, and they’ve flooded Corfu, the icing on the cake for this miserable summer, following water shortages, waste management issues, traffic chaos, etc.

Now the spraying will be useless, as the rains have started and will wash it away, says the first contractor. The meteorologists, however, are forecasting a warm October. The Regional Authority (Zikos) says that spraying is about to start! Money down the drain?

GIORGOS KATSAITIS