The cost of revamping the Ayios Yiannis church square in Larnaca is rising because of the antiquities contractors keep finding wherever they dig in the vicinity, the town’s mayor said on Wednesday.
Contractors are currently carrying out work on the town’s sewerage system thus preventing work to start on revamping the square. Delays in the work have been caused by the continuous discovery of antiquities in the area.
“For the time being, no other contractor can start work on the Ayios Yiannis square until the sewerage system contractor and the antiquities department complete their work,” mayor Andreas Vyras said.
He added that every where the contractor dug there were antiquities and the municipality tried to expedite work by providing more workers and archaeologists.
Vyras said the revamp cost was expected to rise, possibly from the €7m budgeted to between €10m and €13m.
Apart from the antiquities, delays were also caused by the disagreements between utility companies concerning their infrastructure.
Vyras said the local authority could not cover the additional cost on its own and it has appealed to the interior ministry for more cash.
Without it, he said, upgrading the square would be impossible.
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