Athens Mayor Haris Doukas called for detailed structural assessments of 35 apartment buildings in the city’s Kypseli neighborhood after construction of a new metro line was linked to ground movement and building damage, intensifying concerns among residents over the safety of their homes.
The issue dominated an emergency meeting of the Athens City Council on Wednesday, attended by Deputy Infrastructure and Transport Minister Nikos Tachiaos, representatives of state-owned Elliniko Metro and local residents.
Doukas said city authorities expect to receive Thursday the vulnerability assessments and damage reports for all 35 buildings, along with records of ground and building movements measured to date. He asked that the material be formally submitted to the municipality and made available to residents with a legal interest in the affected properties.
ΔΙΑΒΑΣΤΕ ΕΠΙΣΗΣ
The mayor also called for comprehensive structural studies and any necessary reinforcement work before tunnel-boring operations resume. He said residents who feel unsafe should be offered temporary accommodation, including hotel rooms, while authorities determine whether their buildings can be safely occupied.
“There are buildings that need structural reinforcement,” Doukas said. He pointed to a magnitude-5 earthquake in recent days as an additional reason to resolve uncertainty about the condition of affected properties.
The dispute presents another challenge for Athens’ expansion of its metro network, one of the Greek capital’s biggest infrastructure projects. Kypseli is a densely populated central neighborhood where the planned Line 4 is expected to improve access to rapid transit.
Doukas stressed that the municipality supports the project but said construction shouldn’t move ahead at the expense of safety. “We want the Metro to be built. We want it to be built quickly, but obviously not hastily and with mistakes,” he said.
Addressing Elliniko Metro representatives, Doukas pressed for specific answers on whether residents can safely remain in their homes and when repairs will be completed. He said information previously supplied to the municipality was incomplete and that months of general discussions had increased uncertainty among residents.
The mayor also backed a demonstration planned by Kypseli residents for Oct. 3, while calling for continued dialogue among residents, government officials and the project’s operators.
