The road to Golden Beach

[dippersgirl]

I'm told there is to be a protest tomorrow about turning the road to Golden Beach into a 8 meter wide highway style road. The first stage which is being built now, is going up to the harbour by 'Blue Sea' hotel. This is all part of an EU grant to modernise all the Karpaz harbours. Also on the way there, they are building a new 'high tech' dairy unit. I'm told all cows will be kept and milked there, rather than in the village.
I'm not totally against all this but seeing how the bulldozers come, rip up any trees in the way and put all the subsoil in neighbouring fields, because it's easy. They offered TL1500 to the farmers to do this and of course some said yes as they desperately need the money.

[dippersgirl]

Looking up to the Damla Restaurant, you can just see it in the distance

More pictures!!

[dippersgirl]

All done in a do it as fast and easy as possible and get out quick.

To the left, all the trees and bushes have gone, waiting for the digger to widen the road

Lorries are coming and going all day long

[iancrumpy]

Hi Dippers,
Having had the car scratched by overhanging branches 18 months ago on the said road, I'm not against the road-widening. Clearly though it should be done in a way so as to minimise the effect on the surrounding countryside.
Re : "high-tech dairy unit" - that's not a bad development, provided it's not another example of the UBP allowing a mainland investment on the island; an investment from which the locals there receive relatively no benefit.
Crumpy

[dippersgirl]

Ian, I agree, that the road needed improvement, it's the way it is done, that worries me. I am basically sympathetic to improvements, especially when there is a chance for local employment. They certainly have not used local labour on the road.

[dippersgirl]

I went to the demonstration and took pictures, will report later

[Rambling Rose]

Very many thanks for keeping us up to date on this one Dippers Girl.

Surely this is "overkill". Surely the money would be better spent on improving all roads generally (modest widening, surfacing, and particularly drainage) which would benefit the community generally and use local skills and equipment and do less damage to the environment , Rather than superhighways for the benefit of only those in the tourist industry or who drive too fast to see the country anyway.

Reinforces my reservations about the EU and it is such a pity this country is so vulnerable to their ill conceived schemes.

[Rambling Rose]

Very many thanks for keeping us up to date on this one Dippers Girl.

Surely this is "overkill". Surely the money would be better spent on improving all roads generally (modest widening, surfacing, and particularly drainage) which would benefit the community generally and use local skills and equipment and do less damage to the environment , Rather than superhighways for the benefit of only those in the tourist industry or who drive too fast to see the country anyway.

Reinforces my reservations about the EU and it is such a pity this country is so vulnerable to their ill conceived schemes.

[iancrumpy]

I'm sure the report has been sensationalised to some extent, but according to http://www.gundemkibris.com/karpaz-kari ... 49691h.htm some locals living in the area "attacked" the environmentalists at today's demonstration. So Dippersgirl, I guess then that at least some of your neighbours welcome the "investment" there.

That said, I would have to agree with Dippers and Rose that the planned road (as shown in Dippers' photos) does look unnecessarily wide.

[dippersgirl]

My Turkish is not so good to understand what people were shouting, but on both sides there where people who came to be aggresive. Some of the 'green' people just blamed the Dipkarpaz people for what was happening and called them things, my friend was too shy to translate. There was no 'real' fighting, i.e. no blood was drawn, no black eyes, no bruises!!
Dipkarpaz people are often seen as as ignorant mainlander clodhoppers, certainly by some of the very arrogant and obviously wealthy (to the Dipkarpaz people) protesters. They came in big shiny 4x4's and acted as if they owned the place.
This obviously did not go down well; and even though most Dipkarpaz people feel unhappy about this road, especially as a lot of them depend on tourism for their lively hood; they reacted to the protesters more strongly than they should.
My friend said, 'the the protesters came, thinking bad of the Dipkarpaz people and they proved them right' and that she was very ashamed of them
Most of the local people I talked to, agreed with the friendlier, more reasonable protesters. Various students from the village had invited their friends and teachers to come to join with them in the protest. They want the road improved, but they had no idea that they would get a 'highway' style. There was no village meeting beforehand.


To be continued,

got to go to the Yenierenköy market now, sorry.

[dippersgirl]

Sorry, forgot to 'continue', but I really said all.

Have posted the link to all my pictures in another thread but here it is again:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set ... 412767a9c2

[Sandman]

They might as well finish what they started and spoil the island completely. It used to be a bit of a challenge to get up the Karpaz but now it's like driving up the M1 except that the standard of driving is slightly worse.