There are accumulating complaints from the social houses inhabitants. But those complexes are private properties and the responsibility to repair them does not lay on the government, state Abu Kasenally.
The Minister of lands and housing’s message is utmost clear. Abu Kasenally stated that “it is not the Government’s responsibility to maintain in good condition or even to repair apartments which are private properties”, i.e. the National Housing Development Company (NHDC) apartments. This message will then be blurred when the Minister will nevertheless announce that the Minister of Finances has allocated to the NHDC an amount of Rs 280 million (including Rs100 million which will go to the Maurice Île Durable’s fund) for reparation works in different complexes throughout the island. This, adds the Minister, “Because we are a caring government.”
Abu Kasenally, hence, answered to the Private Notice Question (PNQ) of the leader of the opposition, Paul Bérenger, at the national Assembly. Question asked due to numerous complaints from the NHDC apartments inhabitants regarding their houses conditions. Those inhabitants deplore, among others, leaks in the roofs, defective electric appliances, damaged electricity meters and collapsing walls.
However, the Minister insisted on the fact that those apartments are delivered in good condition and that construction works are supervised by the company’s officers. He added that if those social houses are wrongly managed, it is partly due to the absence of syndics.
The Fall Guys
The apartments’ beneficiaries become “owners in strict liability”, explained Abu Kasenally, even if the payment is carried out by monthly installments. “It is hence the inhabitants’ responsibility to take care of the common areas to ensure to ensure good living conditions in the apartments. It is also the owners’ responsibility to elect a syndic to take care of those issues...”
He specified that “the government cannot be substituted to syndics.”
Actually, there are 105 NHDC complexes in the country, including 44 which are governed by “the co-ownership” rule, implying that they have common areas and that they need to elect a syndic to manage them.
However, among those 44 complexes, only seven benefit from syndics which are “semi-operational”, according to Abu Kasenally. Paul Bérenger asked to the Minister to be careful not to treat those “few syndics” as fall guys. “They must be treated correctly.” Abu Kasenally acknowledged that he felt a little bit annoyed when the president of syndics went on a private radio to “give free rein to his frustration. The first thing he asks was how much money I am given!”
Source: L’express dated 27 November 2009
Article and interview by Deepa Bhookun
