Christos Spirtzis

The ongoing saga over the introduction of an electronic ticketing system for Athens public transport is set to continue with more delays in its implementation.

A total of 232 people left homeless by Monday's 6.1 magnitude undersea quake south of Lesvos, in the eastern Aegean, are being housed in hotels and temporary accommodation, authorities said Friday.

Another 85 individuals are staying with relatives, authorities said.

An investigation has been ordered by a prosecutor on Lesvos into false claims that a second large earthquake was imminent, which resulted in panic among people in areas of the island hardest hit by Monday's 6.1-magnitude tremor.

As aftershocks continued to shake Lesvos Tuesday, a day after a 6.1-magnitude quake shook the eastern Aegean island, leaving one woman dead and several people injured, authorities declared a state of emergency and scrambled to accommodate homeless residents and assess the extent of the damage.

Greece's government has vowed to rebuild the region devastated by an earthquake on Monday.

Infrastructure Minister Christos Spirtzis, who was on Tuesday visiting the village of Vrisa on the eastern Aegean island of Lesvos, said that the reconstruction effort will not upset the area's traditional architecture.

The government has announced the construction of 10 new toll stations on the Egnatia Highway that crosses northern Greece.

According to Finance Minister Euclid Tsakalotos and Infrastructure Minister Christos Spirtzis, four of the stations should be in operation by the end of August while the remaining six will come into use by the November 1.

Canada-based PSP International is asking, in a quite discreet fashion, for the process to extend the agreement for the operation of the Athens International Airport to continue, after having stalled for a lengthy period.

The use of electronic tickets for Athens public transport will begin in August rather than on June 1, as pledged by Transport Minister Christos Spirtzis last month, as authorities intensify their efforts to set up the necessary infrastructure to support the scheme.

The Public Holdings Company (EDIS), a subsidiary of the Hellenic Holdings and Properties Company SA (the new hyperfund for state asset utilization), will receive the country's small regional airports and regional ports, the inner cabinet decided on Monday. However, no decision was reached on any major issues as the ministers will meet again once Public Power Corporation's fate is decided.

The Athens metro will have been extended to Piraeus, Aghia Varvara, Korydallos and Nikaia by 2019, Transport Minister Christos Spirtzis said on Wednesday during a visit to the Maniatika area of Piraeus where the tunnel boring machine extending the metro's route is to start excavating.