Beaches: Businesses complain of delays in e-tendering process

The Act on Concession for Beach and Coastal Use has been implemented where more than 1,200 sectional concessions have been put up for electronic auction on a special digital platform.

As announced by the concerned ministries, there is now a registration of contracts and bidding for the use of beaches will be done electronically through a special platform, which will avoid various cases of irregular or unnecessary offers.

“In the last few hours, we have received a ‘quiet’ extension until mid-June so that the process can be completed”

However, traders are complaining that there are areas where no procedure has been carried out despite Friday (31/5) being the last day for tendering.

Stathis Kalambokas, a businessman who owns a beach bar in Skiathos, reported one such case. Speaking on MEGA’s morning programme, Mr. Kalambogus described:

“Now it is May 31 and no process has taken place. We belong to a separate regime, which means the beach is owned by ETAD, which has given it to Skiathos Municipality and Skiathos Municipality is obliged to tender. As per the new rule, today is the last day to ‘upload’ the contest on the platform. This is especially true of Skiathos’ most famous beach, Kokounari”.

“The whole beach in Kokounaris is a pile of rubbish. Not cleaned, no water, no toilets. It’s a disgrace. There are many tourists on the island and this is the best season so far. In Kokounaris, tourists put down a towel, there is no rubbish, and when they need a toilet, They go to the forest,” he added.

Regarding the Skiathos municipality’s stance on the issue, the businessman said they found “hermetically sealed doors”. “They say we have nothing to tell you. We inform you that the municipality’s annual profit from this particular beach exceeds 500 thousand euros,” he noted.

As he said, the season in Skiathos started on the 1st of April and it usually starts on the 1st of May.

A “quiet stretch” until mid-June.

The president of Halkidiki’s Hotel Owners Association, Grigoris Tassios, spoke about the current situation in Halkidiki and spoke of a “quiet stretch” until mid-June.

“We are in transition to the new law. However, as far as I know in the last few hours, there is a ‘silent’ extension until mid-June, so that the process will be completed, because in some areas of Chalcita the license has not been completed with the corresponding rent. “.

“What everyone needs to know is that we are having objective issues and we are having significant issues in getting all the leases this year. For example, a complainant will go through ‘My Ghost’ (app) to see the blue stamp that he sees, but at the end of the day he will not be able to correctly determine whether the lease is from the previous year. Can’t know.”

“My Beach” app

It is recalled that the Ministry of Digital Governance and the Ministry of Finance have jointly undertaken a multi-level intervention in the case of beaches, inter alia, by implementing the “My Coast” app so that citizens can check for any violations.

Excluded areas have now been mapped, i.e. beaches where the provision of umbrella seats is not permitted, while the services to be provided by the concessionaire if he undertakes to provide umbrella seats have also been clarified.

If a citizen detects irregularities, he can file a named or anonymous complaint using the “My Ghost” tool, along with a photograph of the person being complained about.

It can also be submitted from shore but only through a mobile device.

Therefore, the citizen can find the area of ​​interest by opening the application, searching on the map of the application or by “scanning” the QR code of the offer, which will be mandatorily posted on a sign on the beach. Once the area is located, the polygon of the offer and its details (Location, Start – End, Usage, Area) will be displayed on the mobile screen.

More specifically, the citizen:

• Open the app and activate Mobile GPS,
• Find their area of ​​interest on the map,
• The offer polygon appears on the screen with its details (location, start and end, application, area).

Submission of complaint in case of arbitrary occupation of an area or obstruction of free access: determination of cause.

Penalty

Any violation of the above is subject to fines starting from 2,000 euros and up to 60,000 euros, while they may include the withdrawal of the relevant concession permit.

Punishable violations include: the distance between the umbrellas from the sea and between them, cleanliness and blocking access to the free beach.