Baku demolishes still inhabited nine-storey building

In Baku, demolition of nine-storey building No. 5 in Agil Guliev Street, near State Flag Square, was started. Despite the fact that the building is inhabited by people, discontented with the proposed monetary compensations, workers dismantle the roof of the building, break out windows, doors, and walls of free apartments.

Out of 72 families, who used to live in the building, 15 families remain in their apartments. Despite the unusual for Baku frosty and snowy weather, the supply of electricity, gas, and water to the building is highly irregular, and lifts are switched off.

The city authorities motivate the demolition of the building by need of construction of the highway. Citizens are offered compensations of 1500 manats per 1 square meter (about 1900 US dollars). Tenants believe the amounts are too low and demand at least a 20 percent premium to the market value, which should be paid, if the property is seized for the state needs.

"Despite the below zero temperature in the streets, the supply of gas is turned off. Once all the neighbours began to demand the restoration of the gas supply, gas became to come under low pressure. Electrical wires to the building were broken off, and we had to hire ourselves masters to restore the lines," the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent was told by Nushaba Melikova, a tenant of the house.

According to Matanat Mamedova, another tenant of the house, because of the constant switching-outs of electricity and gas and removal of doors and windows in other apartments, the tenants have to live in the cold. "We freeze, we sit at home in our coats," Matanat Mamedova says.

She has noted that no officials consider the complaints of the tenants. "We wrote to the leader of the state; however, we received no reply. Recently, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliev arrived in Flag Square. We wanted to go there and complain to the arbitrariness of the city authorities. However, the police did not allow us to come close to the President. The proposed money is not enough to purchase apartments in this district of the city. We do not want to move out of the prestigious area on the beach to the outskirts," Matanat Mamedova said.

According to Khalid Bagirov, officials from the Mayoralty are threatening the tenants that if they do not sign contracts voluntarily, they will be not paid even 1500 manats per 1 square meter and instead they will be given apartments on the outskirts. Let us note that earlier, one of the tenants of the house said that in the new high-rise building, built near the nine-storey building, the cost per 1 square meter is about 5-6 thousand manats (6.4-7.7 thousand US dollars) per 1 square meter.

The Baku Mayoralty refuses to comment and states that the resettlement of the tenants is carried out lawfully and that the houses are being demolished in the state needs.

Let us note that earlier, other four nine-storey buildings had been demolished in the above mentioned territory. Many tenants were also discontented.