Demolition of hundreds of quake-hit buildings halted
Fevzi Kızılkoyun- HATAY
The demolition of hundreds of severely damaged buildings in the quake-hit southern province of Hatay has been halted as property owners applied to the courts to stop the works.
In Hatay, one of the worst hit provinces by the quakes in early February, the debris of collapsed buildings has been cleared.
While the demolition of buildings to be demolished urgently was also completed, the process has been stalled for hundreds of heavily damaged structures due to the property owners’ legal actions to “stop the demolition.”
On the walls or entrances of these heavily damaged buildings, which stand in the midst of flat and vacant areas, inscriptions such as “The demolition of this building has been halted by court order” and “Do not demolish this building” have been written.
Spray-painted messages have been accompanied by copies of court orders obtained from administrative courts stating the “halt of demolition.”
Due to these court orders, the demolition of hundreds of severely damaged buildings that pose a risk of spontaneous collapse cannot be carried out.
According to some officials, property owners fear they will suffer the loss of rights if the building is demolished, while others resort to legal action to halt the demolition due to disagreements among the building’s owners.
Mahmut Bayrakçı, the local head of the Barbaros neighborhood, whose own house also collapsed in the earthquake, stressed the danger posed by the inability to demolish heavily damaged buildings.
“Teams have visited the buildings several times for inspections. Homeowners believe that they will suffer financial losses if their homes are demolished. Even though we explain that it is not the case, they do not understand. We don’t know how this will be resolved,” he said.
On Feb. 6, large-scale earthquakes jolted the country’s south, mainly 11 provinces. Kahramanmaraş, Hatay, Adana and Adıyaman witnessed major destruction.
The massive earthquakes claimed the lives of more than 50,000 people and left hundreds of others homeless.
