In statements to CNA, Mr Hadjicharalambous said that the Organisation was not aware of the case of the house, part of whose wall and roof collapsed yesterday at noon. “Fortunately, the three women who were living there managed to exit in time and we did not have any unpleasant development,” he said.
This house, he continued, “is yet another case where it is important for owners to proceed immediately with the repair of their properties. We had no knowledge of this specific building, which was neither included in the file we received from the Municipality, nor in the visual inspection carried out recently by private consultants and officials of the Organisation on potentially dangerous buildings, on the basis of which the relevant record was updated.”
He added that “for this specific house we had no information either from the owner or from any complaint. The public must understand that we cannot carry out inspections of residences one by one throughout the city and district,” he noted.
Asked about the abandoned house whose roof collapsed last week in the Sotiras area of Larnaca, Mr Hadjicharalambous replied that “we are proceeding with its demolition, which will be carried out by the owner in the coming days.” “The Organisation issued the demolition permit and it is a matter for the owner to proceed immediately with the demolition,” he said, adding that “we are monitoring the issue and believe that the demolition will take place.”
When asked what will happen if the owner does not proceed with the demolition, he said that “we will proceed ourselves with the demolition and will send the bill to the owner.”
The President of the Larnaca District Organisation was also asked about the residents of the dilapidated apartment building, for which last Wednesday, 20 May, the Organisation posted a notice informing tenants that they must vacate the premises within three days, warning of the necessary legal measures to ensure evacuation and fencing of the building.
As he said, “the forty people who were living in the apartment building vacated their flats. The Organisation provided assistance to the tenants through Social Workers, while we also had options for temporary accommodation in case they had not managed to find lodging themselves.” He added that, as far as he knows, no intervention by Civil Defence was required to provide housing.
Asked what will happen regarding other dangerous buildings in the city and district of Larnaca, he replied that “by the end of May we are completing a digitalised register of all potentially dangerous buildings in the city and district of Larnaca, which currently number around 900. Evaluating the studies being conducted, either by private consultants or by officials of the Larnaca Organisation, we proceed with the necessary actions to eliminate the danger based on existing legislation,” he said.
He continued by calling on “citizens to immediately proceed with any repair and maintenance works of their property, so that we do not reach the point of collapses or other unpleasant situations. As the Organisation, we cannot – and it is not our responsibility – to know the condition of each property and each building, since this is solely the responsibility of the owners.”
He described it as “very important for the owners of all these potentially dangerous buildings to understand that the maintenance of their property is exclusively their own responsibility.”
In response to another question, Mr Hadjicharalambous said that “owners of buildings that have been classified as dangerous are called upon immediately and without delay to comply with the instructions of the competent authorities and take all necessary measures to eliminate the danger. Any continued inaction or refusal to comply will have serious legal and financial consequences.”
The Larnaca Organisation, he continued, “wishes to make it absolutely clear that, in the event of non‑compliance, it will proceed without further notice to take all necessary legal and other measures to ensure legality and public safety, with the possibility of recovering the full cost of works and procedures from the owners themselves.”
After noting that “non‑compliance constitutes a criminal offence and may lead to criminal prosecution of those responsible,” he added that “according to the relevant legislation, in the event of conviction, on a first conviction the person convicted is subject to imprisonment of up to one year and/or a fine of up to ten thousand euros, or both penalties together. In the event of a second or subsequent conviction, imprisonment of up to two years and/or a fine of up to 20 thousand euros, or both penalties together, is provided.”
At the same time, the President of the Larnaca Organisation stated that “beyond the potential criminal prosecution or criminal liability of owners, an administrative fine of up to 20 thousand euros may be imposed, in accordance with the provisions of the applicable legislation, the Streets and Buildings Law.”
The Organisation, Mr Hadjicharalambous concluded, “underlines that it will show no tolerance for phenomena of indifference that put human lives and public safety at risk. The protection of citizens is a non‑negotiable priority and the implementation of the legislation will be carried out with determination and consistency.”
