Following last Saturday’s tragic incident in Germasogeia, Interior Minister Konstantinos Ioannou sent a letter yesterday to the five presidents of the District Local Government Organizations (DLGOs), urging them to examine the possibility of making public the details of approximately 1,300 buildings that have been classified as unsafe for use.
These buildings originate from the total number of construction files that had been transferred to the DLGOs when responsibility for the matter passed from the technical services of the Ministry of Interior to the new local authorities. The specific data had previously been collected by municipalities.
In his letter, the minister stresses that the publication of information about dangerous buildings would help inform both tenants who may not have been notified by the owners and the wider public, including potential future users of these unsuitable buildings.
He also emphasises that the ultimate aim of the proposal is to safeguard public safety and protect human life through timely and comprehensive information for all parties involved.
According to the minister’s proposal, the publication of dangerous buildings can only have positive results. On the one hand, it would place substantial pressure on owners to fulfil their obligations. On the other hand, it would contribute decisively to preventing new tragic incidents.
Updating the lists
According to the same information, Konstantinos Ioannou called on the five DLGO presidents to proceed with updating the lists of dangerous buildings.
At the same time, he reminded them that since last October the Ministry of Interior had informed them about the possibility of assigning the relevant work to private experts. The ministry would cover the cost of the inspections in order to accelerate the recording of dangerous buildings and the implementation of immediate measures.
€2 million fund
In his letter, Mr Ioannou also notes that the Ministry of Interior has made available a fund of €2 million to the DLGOs. The organisations can draw from this fund in cases where it becomes necessary for them to take measures themselves in order to eliminate the danger posed by a building.
The bill
Additionally, Konstantinos Ioannou states in his letter that the bill currently pending before parliament on dangerous buildings provides strong legal and administrative tools to the DLGOs so they can manage the issue of dangerous buildings more effectively.