Newsroom
The government’s handling of the Ktizo housing scheme has come under fire after DIKO MP Zacharias Koulias questioned whether the programme’s remaining apartment blocks will ever be completed under the current approach.
Speaking on Sigma’s Protoselido programme, Koulias pointed to the pace of construction, saying that just one apartment building has been completed in three years, with a second expected to be handed over in November.
The programme involves the reconstruction of 19 apartment buildings, with residents having been relocated from 270 apartments to allow the work to proceed.
According to Koulias, the delay has come with a substantial cost to the state, which has been paying rent for those forced to leave their homes.
“We have paid €6 million in rent for people we relocated,” he said, arguing that the state’s approach to the scheme was unrealistic.
He also criticised the methodology being used by the Ministry of Interior and questioned whether the remaining buildings could be delivered within a reasonable timeframe.
Millions in rent while construction continues
The cost of temporary accommodation has become a central issue in the debate over the scheme.
Following the latest meeting of the House Refugee Committee, its chairman, Nikos Kettieros, put the rental bill at €4.8 million so far. He also estimated that, under the best-case scenario, approximately €7 million in contributions would be required.
The difference between Koulias’ €6 million figure and Kettieros’ €4.8 million estimate may reflect different calculations or periods, but the figures both point to a significant public cost associated with the delays.
Koulias said the government should have taken the Refugee Committee’s views into account before adopting the current approach.
Contractor still owed €150,000
Koulias also questioned how contractors involved in the scheme are being treated.
He referred to a young contractor from Serbia who, according to the MP, completed an apartment building on time but is still owed €150,000.
The case was raised as an example of what Koulias described as shortcomings in the way the scheme is being managed.
He also questioned how residents, particularly older people on modest incomes, could be expected to contribute €20,000 to €40,000 towards the project when some receive only €500, €600 or €1,000 a month.
Problems at evacuated buildings
The MP further pointed to conditions around some of the buildings that have been emptied as part of the scheme.
He said evacuated apartment blocks had become a source of problems for surrounding residents, citing parts of the Linopetra housing estate as an example and describing the situation there as a “dangerous hotspot”.
Koulias called for measures to address the conditions while the reconstruction programme progresses.
For residents who have already left their homes, the central question is now how quickly the replacement buildings can actually be delivered. With only one completed in three years and a second due in November, the timetable for the remaining 17 buildings remains a significant issue.
