Ban on heavy goods vehicles over five tonnes lifted
HEAVY goods vehicles weighing more than five tonnes can now use the Girne-Lefkoşa dual carriageway between St Hilarion Castle and the entrance to Girne, the Highways Department announced on Thursday.
The decision, signed by highways chief Serhan Kazmacı, was taken to “ensure traffic road safety and public order”. The new rule came into effect yesterday after it was published in the Official Gazette.
It brings to an end a ban on HGVs over five tonnes using the section of the road, that had been in place since March 1, 2018.
PEOPLE working in the tourism sector held a protest march in Girne claiming that they have been “victimised” during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Workers marched from Baldöken car park to Kordonboyu during the protest that was organised by the Tourism Workers’ Initiative and took place last Friday.
The demonstrators waved placards that said “We are dying of hunger”, “My child is hungry”, “I want to be a civil servant”, “Closing isn’t governing” and “I can’t pay rent”.
Following the march a press statement was read out claiming that the government’s handling of the economy has been “incompetent” and that “not a single plane carrying tourists to the TRNC has landed since December 4, 2020,” because the tourism sector was branded as a “source of spreading” the coronavirus.
Vaccinated Turkish citizens and vaccinated TRNC citizens who live in the UK should be allowed to holiday in North Cyprus, the statement said.
Charter flights for those travelling to the TRNC for up to three days should be allowed to resume, the statement added, on the condition that visitors do not leave
their accommodation during their stay.
Meanwhile the Cyprus Turkish Travel Agents Initiative said in a statement that 180 travel agents are in “dire straits” and accused the government of ignoring their pleas for support.
Travel agents have been closed for a year and have not been able to pay their workers’ salaries, but are still expected to pay tax, they said.