Wednesday, July 4, 2007

Correction

Well, while people may be turning to blogs for activism and the truth, we are fallible!

I must issue a correction. I said a couple of days ago that a law should be passed banning apartments being built where forests use to be. Well such a law exists, not only that, but apparently nothing is allowed to be built until it gets re-forested as it was before, in other words something like a 100 years have to pass first.

Which reminds me, Greece has passed some of the best laws and was well ahead of its time. Take for example the bill allowing the Athens Metro to be built which was passed in the 1890's. Well ahead of its time and foretelling the needs of the future. Trouble is it took over 100 years for the Metro to be built.

In effect this and other laws are never enforced, not a single builder has been brought to court, no fine given, nothing whatsoever. Do the police suffer from blindness? Are the local Mayors indifferent? Does the electricty company not realise where they are connecting electricty?

Well this is where corruption rears its ugly head, how else to explain it? A comedian, Lazopoulos, which i dont like, raised a similar point. He recounted how he overheard developers talkign about where they were going to build after the fire in Penteli, selling plots of land, and has justice been dealt? No.

However in a recent development, Home owners in Salamina have been receiving fines because their houses have been illegally built, maybe justice does act, but like the case with the Metro, 100 years has to pass first. This is a pitfall for many home buyers who are purchasing old houses/apartments, they often realise too late that the house they just bought is illegal and face huge fines. So if buying proprty in Greece, caveat emptor!

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