Tenants of a house to be demolished in the area of construction of Zimny boulevard in Baku cut off electricity, gas and water

On November, 10, workers in Baku started pulling down the third floor of a house in Mirzag Aliev street while the tenants of the two floors below had not yet moved out. A grave situation emerged in the lower floors, besides, electricity, gas and water supply were shut off there.

Demolition of the upper floor resulted in an emergency situation in the lower ones: the walls and ceilings are crumbling which is aggravated by pelting rains, Sahib Ahmedov, one of the tenants, refugee from Kelbajar district, category 2 disabled person, told us.

According to him, formerly 20 families lived in this building, now there are 7 left and they are not going to move out because of poor compensations. "We are offered 1500 manats per one square meter. But our flats are very small, only 20 - 30 meters each. So, we will not be able to buy flats with such compensations", Ahmedov said. The rest of the tenants are cut off electricity, gas and water.

The workers who were pulling the house down declared that they were acting upon an instruction of senior official of Mayor's office of Baku Zulfali Ismailov. After the tenants' active protests they left, "Contact online news" reports.

On November, 4, tenants of houses to be demolished in Mirzag Aliev and Shamsi Badalbeili streets held an action of protest in Baku. According to eyewitnesses, the policemen obstructed the action taking their posters away but did not disperse the picket.

Tamilla Mamedova, participant of the picket, said that she had repeatedly appealed to the police asking to disallow demolition of her house. "But the policemen ignore our appeals completely", she said. Reikhan Guseinova, another tenant of one of the houses to be demolished, declared that she and her neighbours had to live without gas. "But we have little children who need washing and hot food all the time".

Head of executive authority of the capital of Azerbaijan Gajibali Abutalybov had a meeting with the picketers. "A park "Zimny Boulevard" will be built in the place where your house is now", the Mayor said explaining that constriction of new buildings instead of the houses pulled down was not planned. The official suggested all those discontented to appeal to courts. He also explained that the sum of compensation to evicted townsmen was assigned by the Ministry of Finance, "Zerkalo" reports.

Earlier, the "Caucasian Knot" reported that it was not the first action of protest of residents of Fizuli and Shamsi Badalbeili streets, many tenants refused to move out because of poor compensations. But the people were evicted by force.