Close to two years since the February 2014 powerful gas explosion that claimed four lives and destroyed a number of apartments, the families are yet to return home. For the families, they have been victim to the procrastination involving the different companies and agencies since the blast, when they became homeless.

In fact they are nowhere near returning as an agreement was reached on Sunday morning 3 Kislev, brokered by Jerusalem City Hall, by which the damaged apartments will be demolished and entirely rebuilt. The apartments are on Shabtai Street in the southern Jerusalem neighborhood of Gilo. Due to the efforts of Mayor Nir Barkat, the city’s affiliated Moriah Company, the insurance company and the Super Gas Company have signed on to finally begin work to permit the victims of the gas explosion to return to their homes.

Meir Turgeman, who heads the local planning board and city engineer Shlomo Eshkol are confident the work will begin before February 2016, which will mark two years since the fatal blast. Barkat placed Deputy Meir Turgeman in charge of the project.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)