Local News

An investigation into multiple complaints about water service and “extortionate” charges for mains water in Esentepe has prompted investigation by the Ombudswoman and the Ministry of the Interior. North Cyprus News - WaterLocal expats have made numerous complaints about the costs which, they say, are around three times that of other municipalities A member of the Esentepe Water Campaign for Fairness and Trust (EWCFT) which has around 600 members and who have properties awaiting connection to mains water in the Esentepe Municipality catchment area told LGC News that the group is striving for a fair and reasonable deal with the Esentepe municipality as regards connecting to mains water supplied by Turkey. Esentepe Mayor has warned local residents that they must pay TL5,000 to get smar...

Residents of Esentepe have been warned by their recently re-elected mayor , that they had to pay 5,000TL to convert to ‘smart meters’ so that their properties can be connected to mains water. He said that they had to pay a minimum of 2,500TL, followed by six monthly instalments of 485TL to access mains water supplied by Turkey via undersea pipeline. Erdogan said that those failing to pay up would not be permitted to buy water supplies from tankers. LGC News

Plans to construct 20 bungalows next to Esentepe public beach will create irreversible damage to the environment, Biologists’ Association President Niyazi Türkseven has said. Two years ago, on what was an unspoiled beach, Esentepe Municipality bulldozed the sand dunes without planning permission and built a restaurant and volley ball court. Further work was halted with an interim court order and the council was fined the equivalent of two months’ minimum wages. Esentepe Mayor acknowledged that the council had been fined but said that that was in the past and the council now has permission for the development from the Town Planning Department and the Monuments Department. A tender is going out for the construction of 20 bungalows. Seven bungalows will be built in the first phase, wit...

The body of a young Russian woman has been discovered by two men in a wooded area near Esentepe. Olesya Kupriyanova aged 32 was found wrapped in plastic bags and a sheet. Her body had been thrown over a cliff from a dirt road. Police say that she had received ten stab wounds and traces of her blood were found at her home in Küçükerenköy. It is believed that the murder took place in the house sometime between Sunday and Monday. Her husband who is the prime suspect is missing, and police suspect that he may have left the TRNC. Kibris Postasi / LGC News

The Friends of North Cyprus Association has condemned the cleaning up of Esentepe public beach saying that baby turtles and their nests would be disturbed. They said that the council was needlessly using a bulldozer to clean up the beach, and described the act as “carnage”. In their message to the Interior Ministry, Kyrenia District office and Esentepe municipality, the association that is based in Germany and works voluntarily for the good of the country, said it had received information that Esentepe beach was being bulldozed unnecessarily in the name of cleaning. The association alongside other social bodies donate regularly for the protection of the turtles. They said the council’s action was unacceptable and strongly advised that they put an end to this inhuman act. No...

Following reports that the emissions from the Teknecik power plant were a suspect in the increase in cancer cases in Esentepe and Catalkoy; Caglayan Cesurer, head of the electricity workers union EL-SEN has responded to calls for a filter to be installed. He says that the filter will cost 20 million euros and that apparently KIBTEK are in the final stages of a project looking into buying a filter. Mr Cesurer also points out that, in his opinion, the amount of pollution being produced is exaggerated. He says that the power plant uses some 200,000 tons of fuel a year and that looking at EU statistics, this generates some 7,000 tons of sulphur annually not the 40,000 tons claimed by health officials. It is unfair to isolate the power station as causing cancer he says. Experts from T...

Teknecik power plant is estimated to release 40 thousand tons of sulphur and 250 tons of hydrocarbons into the air, annually. As part of the current national health audit, Esentepe has been shown to have a higher incidence of cancer sufferers. This has naturally focused suspicions on the Teknecik power plant. Given the relatively high rates of cancer in Catalkoy too, it is claimed that these two regions which are respectively east and west of the power plant may have been affected by its pollution. Teknecik power plant has not had a filter in its many years of operation. Esentepe Mayor, Erdal Barut claims that this is because the authorities are concerned about the cost of installing one.

Following a similar operation in Nicosia in September last year, Kyenia police were out in force last night. The objective was to mount an intensive surprise police operation against crime. The operation lasted from 8pm to 1am last night and police from Kyrenia, Lapta, Camlibel and Esentepe stations were all involved. Betting offices, night clubs, cafes and motoring traffic were all inspected. As a result it was found that prostitution was operating in two night clubs and in total eighteen people were arrested including eight customers, eight staff and two hostesses. Nearly 100 people were reported for various driving offences. Betting offices and numerous cafes were also inspected but they came up clean last night. LGC News

Thieves failed to prise open an ATM belonging to Turk bank, despite heavy use of crowbars. This ATM is located on the main Esentepe to Tatlisu road at the Blue Dream market square. The thieves did manage to get past the fascia of the machine but could not dent the steel case behind it. Instead they ran off with the data router inside the machine. It has been determined that there was around 30,000 TL inside the steel casing, which was undisturbed. Also security cameras were able to catch the thieves as they attempted to break into the machine. Police are currently looking for an unnamed individual who they suspect was involved. A couple of months ago, a similar attempt was made on this particular ATM, again unsuccessfully. LGC News