GPM: State Quarry Handed to Private Sector Without Approval

Speaking on Kıbrıs Postası TV’s program “Gündem” hosted by Ulaş Barış, Tel discussed the environmental consequences of government development plans and presented her organization’s new documentary highlighting the worsening situation of quarries in the country.

Tel criticized the lack of oversight over quarries, particularly those in İskele, warning that the unchecked exploitation of natural resources poses a major environmental threat. She argued that the government’s new development plan places construction at its center, treating the island as if it had “limitless mountains and land,” a policy she said risks devastating the environment.

“Being unrecognized, it is as if we are treated as though the climate crisis will not affect us,” Tel said. She explained that their latest documentary, produced at the request of Meta Hatay, attempts to answer the question “Where did we start, where are we, and where are we going?” and concluded that the situation is deteriorating. The documentary will be screened on Monday at 07:00 at Rüstem Bookstore and is open to the public.

Tel singled out the quarry used by the Highways Department in İskele as the “worst-looking, worst-managed and completely unmonitored” site. She noted that although private quarries are subject to some form of inspection, the state-operated quarry faces no oversight at all.

She expressed alarm at the government’s development plan, saying environmentalists were “frozen in shock” during meetings held under the Prime Minister’s auspices. “The government treats construction as the locomotive sector as though we have unlimited land and mountains,” she said, arguing that this approach normalizes the destruction of the landscape by quarries.

Tel further claimed that the Highways Department had overstepped its authority by transferring operation rights for some quarries to a private company without the approval of the Geological and Mines Department, which holds jurisdiction over mining permits. She alleged that stone extracted from these quarries is being used in airport construction projects without state payment or oversight, and that “backdoor deals” are being made with subcontractors.

“A private company is using state-owned materials to build its own facilities,” she said, adding that there is no known contract governing the arrangement, making taxation impossible. Tel confirmed that the issue has been taken to court by the Quarry Union.