KOMOTINI DINATA makes statement on "Strategy for Sustainable Urban Development"
Statement from KOMOTINI DINATA team on the "Strategy for Sustainable Urban Development"
The Municipality of Komotini, within the scope of the preparations for the Sustainable Urban Development Strategy (SBAA) project, organised a public consultation meeting on Thursday 17 August at 19.00 at the Multipurpose Cultural Centre of Komotini.
During the meeting, the Sustainable Urban Development Strategy and the proposed projects were analysed by the project preparation team. In addition, the different issues to be included in the strategic planning and the proposed projects were evaluated.
Antonis Gravanis, President of KOMOTINI DINATA, the main opposition in the Municipality of Komotini, and his team reacted to the exclusion and non-cooperation of the University of Thrace Dimokristos and the Chambers and local social organisations as well as scientific associations in the process of preparing the Sustainable Urban Development Strategy project. The main opposition criticised the municipal administration in a written statement.
"The consultation of the Municipality of Komotini for the Sustainable Urban Development Strategy (SBAA) is pretentious and half-assed", the statement read.
We participated in the public consultation for the preparation of the Sustainable Urban Development Strategy of the Municipality of Komotini, which took place on Thursday 17 August 2023, as part of the process, our initial concerns that this was a completely sham consultation were confirmed.
1- The Municipality of Komotini did not co-operate with any local institution for the preparation of the proposal and the formulation of the strategy, as required by the invitation and the relevant specifications. But above all, the Municipality of Komotini refused to cooperate with the Democritus University of Thrace, the Chambers and other social organisations and scientific associations, as is the case with other municipalities.
2.- The Municipality of Komotini not only refused to cooperate, but did not include any local organisation in the institutional structure of the proposal.
The phobia and "political complexes" of this municipal authority are remarkable. It has decided to exclude the Democritus University of Thrace from the project and to include an urban NGO from Athens in the institutional plan to create an innovation centre worth hundreds of thousands of euros that could compete with the university in our region.
The absurd thing is that the same administration presents Komotini as a university capital, but at the same time excludes the university from the strategy.
It is natural that this behaviour of Mr Garanis himself has created a storm of reaction in the university circles.
As councillors, we demand that the mayor stop belittling the university and local institutions and work with them on this special project.
3- The claims and lies of the municipal administration and the mayor that they cannot start consultations before the invitation of the State Presidency have collapsed.
The Presidency of the Province of Eastern Macedonia and Thrace sent letter No. 839/10-02/2023 "Preparation of Sustainable Urban Development Strategies for the period 2021-2027" to all eligible municipalities, including the Municipality of Komotini, from February 2023. Most municipalities started the process on time and have already completed the consultations.
4.- Finally, as the deputy mayor of the municipality concerned acknowledges, there is no study in the information material on the interventions / projects (budget, programme per action, etc.) of the strategy proposed by the municipality.
The choice of the municipal administration and the mayor himself is to discredit the local potential and institutions of our country, contrary to the clear directives of the Sustainable Urban Development Strategies and to the detriment of the development of our municipality.
Cowardice, sloppiness and obsolescence from the administration of Mr Garanis in such an important project.
Let the citizens draw their own conclusions."