Two more dangerous homes in Larnaca have been scheduled for demolition, as local authorities continue efforts to deal with unsafe buildings across the district.
Angelos Hadjicharalambous, president of the Larnaca District Local Government Organisation, said the two homes, located on Stavrodromiou Street, were due to be demolished on Thursday and Friday.
He said the latest demolitions follow the removal in late May of a house in the Sotiros area, where three women had been living, and the demolition last week of another home whose roof collapsed in mid-May.
According to Hadjicharalambous, a further 35 buildings still need to be handled in the coming days. Letters will be sent to owners instructing them to take the necessary measures to remove the danger posed by the properties.
Should the owners fail to act within the set timeframe, the Organisation will move ahead with evacuations, following the procedure used in such cases.
The buildings include smaller and larger apartment blocks, as well as houses, located in the municipality of Dromolaxia-Meneou and other communities, though most are in Larnaca.
Hadjicharalambous said the process remains slow, with significant delays before all required steps can be completed. He also pointed to the social dimension of the problem, saying the state does not provide sufficient help in finding housing solutions for people living in unsafe buildings.
On the apartment block in the Faneromeni area, which has already been evacuated, he said a formal evacuation order had been secured this week from the Larnaca District Court. The building had already been declared dangerous by the head of licensing, but the Organisation also wanted the court order in place so it could be served to the owners.
The Organisation will now move to fence off the building and install additional warning signs to alert passers-by to the danger, with the aim of protecting the public.
Hadjicharalambous said the evacuation of the Faneromeni apartment block created serious problems, both in terms of rehousing the 40 people who had been living in its 24 flats and in finding space for their furniture and household belongings.
He said the Interior Ministry, Civil Defence and Larnaca Municipality assisted in the case, but added that the Deputy Ministry of Social Welfare was absent.
“We expect greater involvement from the Deputy Ministry in managing similar cases, because these issues must finally be regulated properly,” he said.
Hadjicharalambous also said authorities are waiting for changes to the law so that such cases can be handled more quickly and without unnecessary delays.
“We want to be more practical and resolve problems immediately in these cases, but they are not easily solved under the existing legislation,” he said.
Source: CNA
