DANGEROUS APARTMENT BUILDING IN LIMASSOL - A MONTH WITHOUT A DECISION TO EVACUATE - LEGAL TOOLS ARE TIME-CONSUMING AND INEFFECTIVE, SAYS THE EOA - Filenews 18/6
The fact that almost a month has passed since the registration of the application of the EOA Limassol for the issuance of a court order for the eviction of the dangerous Seagate apartment building, in the tourist area of Germasogeia, and no decision has been made, shows that we may have legal tools, but these are time-consuming and ineffective, said the President of EOA Limassol, Yiannis Tsouloftas.
On the occasion of today's hearing before the Limassol District Court, for relevant instructions, in relation to the further steps in the Organization's application for the issuance of the eviction order, which was registered on May 20, Mr. Tsouloftas explained that "as the legal process progresses, the owners have filed a hierarchical appeal against our request and it is being examined by the competent body, which is the Ministry of the Interior".
If the relevant decree is issued, he added, the owners will have to comply for the evacuation of the apartment complex, which hosts about 60 families, while otherwise, they are accountable to justice and it is the responsibility of the Police to make sure that the decree will be executed.
"There may be legal tools, but they are time-consuming and ineffective and do not enable the Organization to provide an immediate solution to a problem involving a dangerous building," he said and stressed the need to amend the legislation, "so that the EOAs have the necessary tools that, with speed and efficiency, can remove the danger of such buildings."
At the same time, Mr. Tsouloftas also raised the financial aspect of the issue, as he pointed out, as self-financed by the water supply, sewerage and licensing services they provide, the EOAs have been entrusted with a competence that does not offer income.
Since the owners of a dangerous building do not proceed with its repair and the EOAs will have to deal with the issue, he continued, "the State must decide where we will draw the money from to exercise this responsibility".
"Should someone's water supply fees be increased, to subsidize the inconsistency of his neighbour, who has a dangerous building and does not maintain it and is a public danger? Should the fees for issuing building permits be doubled in order to finance the activity of dangerous constructions?" asked Giannis Tsouloftas, noting, however, that this would be unfair to the citizens but also illegal, because "based on European directives, the three services we offer are separate business units and no cross-subsidies can be applied".
In addition, he also referred to the social aspect of the issue, as in the event of the evacuation of a building, there may not be an economic possibility for the tenants to rent or be accommodated somewhere else.
Recalling the housing problem and the high rent prices in Limassol, Mr. Tsouloftas said that "these are reasons why some people are forced to live in dangerous buildings with reduced rent, a social problem for which the State should deal comprehensively".
"The NGOs alone cannot provide a solution to these problems, there should be cooperation between the NGOs and other bodies of the Local Government, with the central state, which draws money from general taxation and has the ability and discretion to allocate this money as it sees fit, something that the NGOs cannot do", he added.
About a thousand potentially dangerous buildings
According to the President of the EOA Limassol, in the records of the Organization there are about a thousand potentially dangerous buildings, in Limassol, of which 262 were under the microscope of civil engineers of ETEK, following a relevant agreement with the Organization, for visual inspection and assessment of their risk.
"Of these 262 cases, 220 have been completed and the relevant reports have been submitted to us, which are being evaluated by the engineers of the EOA Limassol, in order to decide in which category they will be classified, i.e. whether they are very dangerous and need immediate evacuation or are less dangerous and can be maintained and repaired," he added.
Those buildings, he continued, are deemed extremely dangerous, the owners will be given a deadline to remove the risk, while otherwise, the Organization will proceed with legal procedures to impose the removal of the risk.
He also reminded that, in Limassol, 96 buildings have already been declared dangerous, "of which 70 were declared by the EOA, while we have inherited 26 from the previous building authorities".
