“Residents were aware they were living in precarious constructions, so everything proceeded peacefully,” stated Vítor Ferreira (PS) to Lusa.
The councilor made these comments today on the sidelines of the presentation of municipal festivities in Amadora, Lisbon district, referring to the demolitions carried out on Monday on the Estrada Militar da Mina de Água in the former Santa Filomena neighborhood.
Vítor Ferreira reported that the Amadora Council has already demolished eight of the 22 identified illegal constructions, which house about 30 adults and 14 children and youths.
“Several months prior, all [the residents] received attention from our social assistance teams and the Municipal Police, who consistently informed them that those constructions were unauthorized, while also providing access to all available social support from the City Council,” he stated.
The socialist official further explained that the remaining demolitions were suspended due to a judicial decision and assured they will resume “if the court decision allows it.”
When questioned about a clarification request from Amnesty International, also addressed to the Loures Council, concerning potential human rights violations in the demolitions, Vítor Ferreira declared that he communicated “no one was left homeless.”
“We responded yesterday [Wednesday], stating that there was consistent monitoring from start to finish of the demolitions of those homes, ensuring nobody was left without shelter or social support,” he remarked.
Regarding housing issues, Vítor Ferreira confirmed that the local government is “concerned” about finding housing solutions within the municipality and emphasized that measures are being implemented.
“We are currently constructing 48 housing units in the northern part of the city to meet these needs, and also yesterday [Wednesday], we decided in a Council meeting to purchase 22 plots of land for affordable public housing, with an investment estimated at around 9.7 million euros, pending approval by the Court of Auditors,” he noted.
This week, the municipalities of Loures and Amadora coordinated operations to demolish precarious illegal housing, displacing several families in both councils.
Loures commenced a demolition operation on Monday targeting 64 constructions, home to 161 people, in Bairro do Talude Militar.
On the first day, 51 constructions were demolished, but operations were suspended on the second day following a provisional court order from the Lisbon Administrative Court in response to a petition from 14 residents.
In Amadora, at the Estrada Militar da Mina de Água in the former Santa Filomena neighborhood, there is a plan to demolish all 22 illegal constructions, inhabited by about 30 adults and 14 children and youths.
