Hellenic Left Alliance president Alexis Tsipras visited Kanari Square in Kypseli on Wednesday morning to inspect severe building cracks caused by metro tunneling.
The opposition leader called on the Greek state to immediately fund temporary relocations for affected families after inspecting structural damage in 35 apartment buildings across the central Athens neighborhood.
Tsipras arrived at Kanari Square at 9:00 a.m. on September 30 to meet with residents suffering property damage from a tunnel boring machine operating on Athens Metro Line 4. During his visit, Tsipras requested to know when the damage was first identified and expressed strong dissatisfaction after residents informed him that initial cracks were detected in early March while tunneling continued regardless.
Resident complaints and protest plans
During their meeting with Tsipras, local residents accused responsible authorities of withholding technical data and failing to keep the community informed. A representative for the residents stated that technical information that should be subject to public consultation was being held like state secrets.
The representative stated that available data indicated precursor ground settlements began appearing on apartment buildings as soon as the tunnel boring machine started operating from Kypseli Square. Despite these early warnings, the representative said excavation continued under an attitude of proceeding without regard for consequences.
Another local resident stated that public safety represents a non-negotiable red line for the neighborhood. The resident declared that neighbors would not tire of demanding the truth or compromise the safety of their children, parents, and themselves, announcing a peaceful protest rally organized for October 3 to demonstrate against months of official mockery.
Calls for state funded relocations
Following a physical inspection inside affected properties, Tsipras stated that he observed structural cracks in support columns and load-bearing beams, doors that no longer close, and door frames that had separated from walls. He emphasized that qualified engineers had already certified structural problems in the load-bearing frame of the buildings.
Tsipras criticized the government response, stating that official inertia had left residents without any reassuring progress despite seven months of documented cracks and ground settlements. He noted that the competent minister had previously declared he would not allow his own family to live in the impacted buildings.
The opposition leader urged officials to stop hiding technical data, consult geotechnical experts immediately, and bypass technical disputes between construction consortiums to address resident safety. He demanded that the state immediately fund and arrange temporary relocations for all residents of buildings classified as yellow or red for as long as necessary to complete structural reinforcements.
Tsipras stated that engineers from the Technical Chamber of Greece must immediately carry out certified evaluations to classify affected buildings as green, yellow, or red. He added that safety could not be played with in Kypseli or anywhere else, warning that an attitude of proceeding without regard for consequences is unacceptable when lives are at stake.
Subterranean construction in central Athens
Kypseli is a densely populated residential district in central Athens, characterized by mid-20th-century apartment blocks built during the capital's rapid urban expansion. The neighborhood is currently a primary site for the construction of Athens Metro Line 4, a major underground rail expansion designed to connect central urban zones through heavy tunnel boring machine excavation.
Tsipras, who served as Prime Minister of Greece from 2015 to 2019, currently leads the Hellenic Left Alliance coalition in parliament. The Technical Chamber of Greece functions as the official statutory technical advisor to the Greek state, holding authority to conduct structural audits and certify building habitability across the nation.
