Larnaca District Local Government Organisation has filed criminal charges against a metal recycling plant in Aradippou following Friday’s explosion that injured three people, with the facility operating without permits since 2014.
Larnaca District Local Government Organisation President Angelos Hadjicharalambous said he instructed the Enforcement Department to immediately register a criminal case against the owner for operating an unlicensed facility.
Metal recycling facility operated without permit since 2014
“Given that the metal recycling unit based in Aradippou has been operating without a permit since 2014, I gave instructions to the Enforcement Department, and it immediately proceeded to register a criminal case against the owner for the fact that the facility is not licensed,” Hadjicharalambous said.
He added that authorities do not know why the Department of Environment, despite the factory lacking necessary operating permits, had granted the owner a licence for metal collection and sorting for recycling.
Three people injured in Friday explosion at Aradippou plant
Aradippou Mayor Christodoulos Partou said two companies operate the same activity in very close proximity – metal collection and sorting for recycling. He noted that an explosion occurred at one factory last year, whilst Friday’s explosion happened at the other facility.
The owners of both facilities purchased a field in 2014 and placed scrap metal inside, whilst simultaneously submitting applications to obtain necessary operating permits, Partou explained.
Court imposed €600 fine in 2023 following legal proceedings
In 2019, the Department of Environment proceeded through the Attorney General to initiate procedures for suspending factory operations. In 2022, the owners’ lawyers requested an extension, which the Environment Department refused, proceeding with legal action.
In 2023, the court imposed a monetary fine of €600 on the owners, Partou said.
“As soon as I became aware that these specific facilities were operating without permits, I sent a letter to Larnaca District Local Government Organisation, notifying them of this fact. Today, Aradippou Municipal Council will hold a meeting to discuss the issue and see what needs to be done by the local authority,” he concluded.
(information from CNA)