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Residential basement emptied for fire safety concern
A TOTAL of 33 residences in a basement in Hongkou District were demolished by authorities due to fire safety concerns, Hongkou police said.
This is part of the district’s joint fire safety campaign recently, which involved authorities including the police, fire department, work safety watchdog and housing department. The campaign’s main targets include shops, markets, restaurants, malls, elderly nurseries and rental residences.
The basement, about 1,000 square meters large, is located under a residential block on No. 657 Tiantongan Road, however the basement itself should not serve for residential purpose, according to its property license. And the place does not meet local fire safety regulations, the police said.
According to the police, the original landlord allegedly leased the place to a man, surnamed Liu, who renovated the basement into 33 individual rooms to lease out for money. Each room is about 15 square meters large, and the rental fee is about 1,300 yuan every month. A man was even hired as an administrator to manage issues in the basement.
“I found the place at 58.com (China’s version of Craigslist) and moved in from October last year,” a tenant, Li Lebin, 21, told Shanghai Daily. Li is working in a bar nearby. “The rent is 1,000 yuan a month, which is rather cheap in Shanghai.”
Li said he did not realize the place did not meet fire safety requirements, adding that the residence is just a place for rest and luggage, as most of the tenants work in catering industry and spend most of their time in the restaurants or bars.
The local neighborhood committee informed the tenants from Saturday, telling them to empty the place in time. All tenants have registered their name, rent and deposit with local authority by Sunday morning, the neighborhood committee said.
Li said he would move to his friend’s place tonight and look for a new residence then. “And I will ask the landlord to get back my deposit money and the rest of the rent,” he said.
The police said the fire department had sent notifications to the landlord several times, informing him to rectify the place in time. However, Liu declined to cooperate.
In a local police station, Liu insisted he did not consider the basement violated housing or fire safety regulations.
“We have a different understanding on this issue,” Liu said. “The authority considered we are wrong, while we don’t think so. The disagreement should be solved by legal means.”
Liu added the basement used to be a stinking puddle. He renovated the place and turned it into a residence, which he considered helping to solve needs of low-income migrant workers.
The police said the basement are emptied for safety concerns, and authorities are further investigating the place to collect evidence for the detailed penalty decision.
During the recent campaign, a total of 3,211 companies and institutions had been checked from Thursday to Saturday, with 5,156 hidden dangers spotted including 4,912 rectified on site. A total of 1,460 square meters of illegal buildings had been demolished, 196 attics in shops removed, 142 gas tanks seized, 37 companies and institutions punished and eight suspended.
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