The owner of a plot of land in the Mesa Githonia area, Irene Antoniadou, accused the Limassol municipal authorities of illegally cutting down about 60 cypress trees on her private land.
According to the woman, this incident occurred on October 30. Antoniadou stated that municipal employees entered her fenced area in her absence and destroyed the 7-meter-tall trees that she had planted about thirty years ago. She described the incident as an “act of vandalism,” emphasizing that this was done by order of the deputy mayor of the district.
They cut down the trees and left them on our property. The situation is unacceptable, since we are talking about real vandalism,” the woman said.
In turn, Deputy Mayor Marios Protopapas said that these trees were on municipal territory, exceeded the permitted height of 3 meters and posed a threat to people. He explained that the event consisted of pruning trees, and not completely destroying them.
The Limassol environmental movement protested against the municipality's actions, calling them "the destruction of green spaces." Movement coordinator Andreas Evlavis noted that if the owner had been given a warning, she would have organized the pruning herself. Evlavis also expressed dissatisfaction, emphasizing that in the context of increasing attention to climate issues, such actions are justified by safety, while ignoring the importance of trees for improving the quality of the urban environment.
Source: alphanews.live
