A meeting focused on the relocation of Pontokomi was held at Kozani Town Hall on Tuesday, 3 January 2023, following an invitation by Mayor Lazaros Maloutas and in implementation of the relevant unanimous decision of Kozani City Council.
Participants included Deputy Minister for Infrastructure and Transport Michalis Papadopoulos; Kozani MPs Stathis Konstantinidis, Paraskevi Vryzidou, Giorgos Amanatidis and Kalliopi Vetta; Regional Governor of Western Macedonia Giorgos Kasapidis; Deputy Regional Governor for Kozani Katerina Dadamogia; Deputy Regional Governor for Cultural Heritage and Employment Giorgos Vavliaras; Kozani City Council President Markos Floros; Director of the Municipality’s Technical Services Michalis Pechlivanidis; Pontokomi Community President Giorgos Pilianidis; and Dimitris Mavromatidis, representing residents on relocation matters and participating in his former capacities as President of Kozani City Council and President of the Technical Chamber’s Western Macedonia Section.
The meeting addressed:
- the timetable for infrastructure works;
- the undergrounding of the high-voltage lines in the New Pontokomi area, an essential precondition for completing the relocation;
- the viability of the existing settlement; and
- the institutional measures required to ensure that the existing settlement is not demolished before the new settlement becomes genuinely habitable.
The Municipality of Kozani stated that it would stand alongside residents in legal proceedings concerning their forced removal, supporting the unanimous positions adopted by Kozani City Council.
At the conclusion of the discussion, the region’s political representatives agreed to intervene in pursuit of a solution. In addition to the competent ministry and the Public Power Corporation (PPC), the issue would be brought before the Independent Power Transmission Operator (IPTO) and METAVASI S.A., together with the positions expressed by residents and by the Municipal and Regional Councils.