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“We would like to strengthen the responsibility of designers and construction experts so that they do not sign without going to the place, designed in the best possible way. There really should be no defects in the new construction in Lithuania, well, ”the minister said at a press conference next to the cracked building in Vilnius.
According to him, sometimes the neighbors themselves are to blame for the state of emergency in buildings, which is why more changes are needed. As an example, he gave a fallen balcony in Lazdynai.
“If for two consecutive years the administrator determines that it is necessary to eliminate the state of emergency, and the neighbors do not dare to do so, we would give the municipalities the right to decide for themselves,” said the minister.
When asked who should take responsibility for the apartment building in the Pašilaičiai district, S. Gentvilas stated that a thorough assessment was needed.
“It will be initiated by the Municipality of Vilnius through the apartment building managers to do a detailed examination of the building. After that, it will be clear if there are significant violations, if there is a possibility of an accident or if they are just cosmetic violations, ”said the Minister.
“In terms of damages, the contractor is liable for hidden and invisible defects and defects for 20 years. There are building bans and frozen funds to make up for these things. (…) Once the work is finished, 5 percent of the construction project funds are frozen and that guarantee is required, “he added.
However, he stressed that “the defect is evident, the population has already suffered damage, especially emotional damage.”
“The earthquake did not happen in Lithuania, of course, it is not welcoming when you settle in a new building and the walls start to crack. We really are on the side of the residents, we understand both the owners and their emotional state. (…) Today the neighbors have the opportunity to return, there are those preliminary conclusions that the building can work, the question is whether the violations are long-term and there will be more accidents, ”said S. Gentvilas.
According to the Vilnius City Municipality, the house was built by Tadlita.
The premise is that developers and contractors are to blame for the defect.
Aidas Valys, chief advisor of the State Inspectorate for Spatial Planning and Construction (VTPSI), said that the recognition of the building could take from a month to three, but stressed that the municipality is responsible for it.
He said this apartment building came about during the construction boom, so there is a risk that the work was done at the lowest cost.
“Many builders abused, they rushed to build as soon as possible at the lowest possible cost,” said A. Valys.
“We see the same risks that the minister said about the experts. Because the project was an expert, the experience was passed. The experts said that everything is fine with the project. Perhaps this should be a matter of greater responsibility for those experts” , He said.
Valys said no complaints had been received about the building’s defects.
“In 2014, we saw through the media that there were some cracks and fissures, we passed this information on to the institution that supervises the use, the municipality. (…) We verified that the technicians did not repair any defect during all the years of inspection ”, he said.
A representative of the Inspection said the initial assumption that the building’s developers and contractors were to blame for the defect.
“Yesterday I myself participated with the municipal employees who supervise the use. “… In his opinion, the quality of the construction work may also be to blame,” he said.
Developer: Responsibility requires a response from professionals
Stasys Šliažas, director of the Tadlita apartment company, says questions about liability should be asked after the exam.
“Until there is a response from the specialists, how can we talk about those things?” Basically, the previous commissions have determined that all is well with the constructions of the house, and if the additional experience is brought in, they will determine the exact same thing. After all, the exams carried out before were not null and void, they were also carried out seriously and competently, ”S. Šliažas told BNS.
According to him, the company itself is interested in putting the building into operation.
“You have to talk about it very carefully, because the neighbors and the owners of the premises support it, and we have premises in this house. And it is also important for us that these premises are solid and that we can use them ”, said the head of the company.
Cracks were reported in the apartment building Monday night, residents were temporarily evacuated from it. On Tuesday, the Vilnius Municipality reported that the house is safe to operate and people can return to their apartments.
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