In the city of Bezmein on the outskirts of the capital of Turkmenistan, the authorities began forcibly demolishing houses built 48 years ago. Local residents were given only a week to pack up and clean up.
Radio Azatlyk correspondents wrote about this. According to their information, people were warned about the upcoming demolition of the old housing stock, and in return they promised to provide an alternative in a new building. However, as it turned out, this “alternative” costs additional money. For example, residents of houses that are already being demolished are offered to purchase housing in Arkadag by paying the difference in price.
It is noteworthy that in houses subject to demolition, the owners were allowed to dismantle old windows, remove doors and take other building materials that can be resold or used in a new apartment. However, those who were late were not expected and simply began to demolish the housing with bulldozers.
Why such a rush?
According to information from local residents, the decision to demolish the houses was made at the state level. Perhaps the massive destruction of the old housing stock is connected with the preparation of a new site for the “frozen” Ashgabat City project. At least the city planners certainly had their eye on this area. However, at the moment there have been no official comments from the Turkmen authorities.
Let us recall that a similar mass demolition of houses took place in the fall of 2023 in the residential areas of Bagyr and Gokche of the Bezmeinsky etrap. A week ago, the owners of houses in Anev, Ak Bugday etrap, Ahal velayat, were also given an official notice to demolish dozens of houses.
Quite a few owners are unhappy that they will have to say goodbye to their registration in the capital and move to the suburbs. And yet, the majority have to agree to the conditions offered by the authorities. Because of the fear of being on the street, people are even willing to pay extra for extra square meters through a mortgage.
Radio Azatlyk correspondents recalled that in mid-April of this year, several two-story buildings built after the earthquake in 1948 were already demolished on Magtymguly Street, which runs through the central part of the capital. In addition, several more residential buildings were demolished in the area of the old airport. The events there happened so suddenly that people were not even offered new housing in return.
Over the past decades, housing demolition in Ashgabat has become a common occurrence. Subsequently, some were left on the street because of the high cost of the proposed housing compared to the old one, while others had to move to another place and lose many amenities.
Let us add that in the real estate sector in Turkmenistan there have long been various problems that affect local living conditions and the city’s economy. Some of the most common difficulties may include high housing prices (which makes access to housing difficult for many city residents), poor quality housing, unstable property conditions, in addition there are infrastructural deficiencies with poor road networks, economic problems, and deficiencies in city planning.
