Belarus’ President urges to investigate empty homes problem

MINSK, 22 October (BelTA) – President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko urged the authorities to look into the empty housing problem, in Minsk first and foremost. The Belarusian head of state gave this instruction while visiting the Kamennaya Gorka residential area in Minsk on 22 October.

According to Alexander Lukashenko, it is unacceptable that property developers leave the constructed houses empty waiting for a rise in housing prices. Aide to the President, Chief Inspector of Minsk Anatoly Kalinin informed the President that about one thousand flats are kept vacant for a variety of reasons in the capital. “We should investigate this situation,” the head of state said.

About 260,000 families and individuals are included in the list of people in need of better housing, of them 60,000 do not own a single square meter of housing; 110,000 are young families. Over the past five years, the volume of housing construction in the capital doubled.

Acting Chairman of the Minsk City Hall Nikolai Ladutko noted that in the future the main focus will be placed on the construction of housing outside Minsk and in the satellite towns. As early as in 2011, the construction of infrastructure outside the Minsk ring road will be launched. As for the Kamennaya Gorka residential area, the housing construction will be completed here by 2012, and by 2014 all the facilities of the social infrastructure will be built. The new residential area will be able to accommodate about 70,000 people. By now 21 houses have been commissioned; by the end of 2009, 290,000 square meters of housing will be built. The average cost of 1 square meter of housing in Kamennaya Gorka is Br1.6 million.