Owner of slum buildings charged with making necessary repairs

The Building Authority in Ostrava has called on the owner of houses in the Přednádraží slum to make repairs in six of the buildings within the next 60 days. The authority deemed 74 apartments as uninhabitable. Residents, who are for the most part Romani, and chose to remain in the buildings were told they must vacate the premises. The owner is facing a fine of 200 thousand crowns if he does not carry out the repairs in due time.

Authorities have already issued eviction notices two weeks ago. At the time, over 100 residents had refused to leave. The Building Authority has filed a petition Friday for court-sanctioned evictions. The owner, Oldřich Roztočil, had previously expressed willingness to carry out repairs on his property but said he will not do so unless the city fixes the sewer system that is municipal property.