At the end of October, the construction of the first four apartment buildings will begin as part of the "KtiZO" project, said the Minister of the Interior, Konstantinos Ioannou, speaking to the Parliamentary Committee for Refugees on Tuesday.
In his presentation before the Members of the Committee, the Minister referred to the progress of the work and the obstacles that arise for the "KtiZO" project, to the bill submitted to the Committee to change the procedure for selecting beneficiaries for Turkish Cypriot properties, and also to the proposal of of the Ministry for changes to the approval criteria for the housing plans of the Care Service.
Implementation process of the "ktiZO" Plan
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Mr. Ioannou stated that the Christodoulidis Government, with this particular plan, "dared to touch a wound of half a century, responding within a narrow time frame to a decades-old problem", noting that this is the most drastic intervention in the field of refugee housing the last five decades.
He noted that for the Ministry, the priority was the safety of the tenants, which is why the emphasis was placed on the immediate removal of the owners, with priority given to those who lived in apartment buildings that were deemed unsuitable and dangerous.
The Minister referred to challenges presented during the practical implementation of the plan. As he said, these mainly related to inheritance issues, the refusal of cases of beneficiaries to vacate their apartments, resulting in delays in the demolition of the apartment buildings and the start of the reconstruction work of the new ones, as well as other issues of a legal nature.
Regarding the granting of loans to the beneficiaries, the Minister stated that contact was made with the Central Agency for Equitable Burden Distribution, in order to consider the possibility of creating a special plan for granting loans to cases that are not entitled to financing from banking institutions. As he mentioned, the matter was examined in a session of the Agency's Board of Directors last Thursday and the first reaction was positive.
Mr. Ioannou reiterated that the central axis of the "ktiZO" Plan is the freedom it gives to the beneficiaries to proceed on their own, with the disengagement of the public sector and the contribution of the private sector, so that they can proceed more quickly and without the limitations set by the public procedures. He noted that the starting point of all 43 apartment buildings in the first phase was the same, however their progress is not parallel.
Specifically, out of the 19 projects of the first phase, bids have been received from contractors and plans have been prepared for four apartment buildings, and it is estimated that construction work will begin in October. In addition, in eight apartment buildings, tender documents have been prepared for receiving bids from contractors and will be announced within days.
Furthermore, in three apartment buildings Project Coordinators and coordinating committees have been appointed and are in the stage of preparing the relevant documents for tendering and receiving offers from contractors, in four apartment buildings Project Coordinators and coordinating committees have not been appointed, while the submission of an application to the Director is expected Department of Town Planning and Housing for the issuance of a town planning permit for two apartment buildings. For two other apartment buildings, plans are being prepared by the contractor for the submission of the application for planning permission in September.
Start of the second phase of the project
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At the same time, the HYPES said that the Ministry decided to move the second phase of the project earlier. The second phase concerns 70 apartment buildings throughout Cyprus, for which the cost of the Civil Engineer will be covered, who will carry out a static adequacy study that will demonstrate the repairs that need to be made to the apartment buildings. An amount of up to €300.000 will be granted for the repairs and an additional €90.000 for the installation of a lift where necessary. As he said, the letters have already been sent to the owners of 20 of the 70 apartment buildings (175 apartments), so that the two phases can proceed in parallel.
Property lease violations in 14% of cases
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With regard to the management of Turkish Cypriot properties, the Minister told the Committee that for a year now the Turkish Cypriot Property Management Service has been carrying out checks on all lease contracts for commercial real estate, with the aim of making the degree of implementation of the provisions by the beneficiaries transparent. "This is the first time that such an area has been inspected and so far it has been completed by 92%. In total, more than 3.700 contracts were checked and 503 cases (14%) of lease violations were identified. For these cases, legal procedures have been initiated for their recovery", he noted.
Regarding the amending bill for the management and disposal of Turkish Cypriot properties, which is before the Parliamentary Committee, the Minister said that a new procedure for the disposal of properties is being introduced, with the main innovation being the implementation of a system of eligibility and scoring of applicants through clear, objective and measurable indicators.
"In this way, we limit the discretion of the Guardian which has resulted in phenomena of abuse and exploitation and at the same time equality, transparency and meritocracy are achieved", he said. In his statements after the completion of the Commission, the Minister said that on this specific issue he expects there to be reactions, because interests and establishments are affected.
By the end of September the new criteria for Care housing plans
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Finally, the Minister said that the criteria of the housing plans of the Care Service are being modified, with the aim of benefiting more beneficiaries. As he said, the decision was taken after gathering suggestions from the citizens themselves, as well as from the Refugee Committee.
Indicatively, the amendments include, among other things, the horizontal increase of the income criteria, the reduction of the age of the residential unit from 20 to 15 years for house repair, while the date of connection with the EAC and not the date of sale will be taken into account for the approval document.
The Minister noted that the amendments will be discussed and agreed at the Criteria Advisory Committee in September and then forwarded to the Cabinet for approval and implementation.
"Everyone's goal is to correct the distortions, to solve the problems of the refugee world," he said in statements after the meeting, noting that the discussion was held in a constructive atmosphere.
In the meantime, the Minister, within the Committee, also referred to an urban planning amnesty plan, which was prepared by the Ministry. Asked about it after the Commission, he said he is waiting for the consultation with the private sector to be completed on the matter, noting that he aims to present it to the Cabinet for approval in the next 1-2 weeks. As he said, the amnesty will cover minor violations, with the aim of the owners getting final approval and title deeds by paying a sum. At the same time, he said, the revenues that will arise from the project are intended for social housing, either for the "KtiZO" project or for the EOAs.
The President of the Committee, AKEL Member of Parliament, Nikos Kettiros, in his statements after the Committee, expressed his satisfaction, as the Minister gave specific timetables, that at the end of October "we will see the first apartment buildings start to be erected". He noted that this is very important, because the refugee world wants this plan to take shape.
Regarding the Agency's approach to providing loans to refugees for "ktiZO", the AKEL Member of Parliament said that their proposal was listened to, while the banks "turned out that they only made announcements".
With reference to the update in the plans of the Care Service, Mr. Kettiros said that there should be an increase in income criteria and an increase in sponsorship because there have been price increases in the cost of building a house. He also asked the Minister for a right of review for those who are rejected with the existing criteria, but would be approved with the new ones.
Within the Committee, Mr. Kettiros referred to information that an exceptional right to sublease a plot of land was granted to a sponsor of the election campaign of President Christodoulides for the operation of a supermarket. Asked about the issue by journalists, Mr. Kettiros said that the Minister confirmed that the specific real estate was given, but did not answer if it is financing of Christodoulidis' election campaign. Within the Committee, the Minister, when asked, said that the approval for the subletting of the specific property was given before 2023 which was undertaken by the specific Government and falls under the cases in which subletting is allowed.
Within the Committee, the Member of Parliament of AKEL, Christos Christofidis, expressed concerns in relation to any effects on aspects of the Cypriot state from the issue of the management of Turkish Cypriot properties. DISY Member of Parliament, Nikos Georgiou and DIKO Member of Parliament, Zacharias Koulias, also expressed their concern with the issue of the inheritance of private property. In his intervention, the Member of Parliament of DIKO, Christos Senekis, clarified that with regard to real property, we do not transfer real property, but a succession of debt rights. The Minister agreed that the property is not inherited, as with the termination of the Cypriot agreement, the lease ceases to be valid and the property is returned to T/k. What is inherited is the right of use.
Regarding the updating of the Care criteria, DISY Member of Parliament, Nikos Georgiou, proposed that in cases where both members of the couple are refugees, they should be entitled to a larger amount. As he said in a statement after the completion of the Commission, "it is a targeted measure with empathy that will essentially help those who are most in need of state support for a new start in their lives."
Furthermore, in his statements, Mr. Georgiou stated that "the message we want to send to our affected fellow citizens is that they are not going to be alone in any phase of the project's execution. As the Parliamentary Committee for Refugees, we carry out the proper parliamentary control, until the smooth and successful completion of the project. In front of the competent Minister of the Interior, we mentioned that the faithful observance of schedules, the immediate implementation of the announcements are the tools that will give credibility and dispel any doubt and suspicion that exists from the affected citizens".
The DISY Member of Parliament, Rita Superman spoke about the state's delay in depositing the money to start the reconstruction, noting that the prices are increasing and the contractors may ask for more money. He also spoke about "threats" from officials of the Department of Urban Planning to the residents, in order to evacuate their apartments, which, as he said, "dynamit the feeling of trust in the plan". He also requested that the static adequacy study be given to the tenants who requested it.
In addition, like Mr. Kettiros, he asked if there would be an extension to the rent subsidy, in case of delay, with the Minister noting that there could be an extension, but each case would be examined separately, in order to establish where the obstruction is due.
The Member of Parliament of ELAM, Sotiris Ioannou, within the Committee, asked how much time is needed for the payment of the amount to which those who chose not to participate in the plan are entitled, from the moment they hand over their titles. In addition, with regard to the management of Turkish Cypriot assets, he asked for a comprehensive management plan for the issue.
Source: KYPE