Between unclear responsibilities and lack of intervention, residents denounce the inaction of public authorities.
Located on the small Bachaga-Boualem square, in the Balmont district of La Duchère (Lyon 9th), the Oran war memorial is facing significant degradation. Bad weather has weakened its base, causing pieces of stone to fall, which could prove dangerous for local residents. To face this “emergency situation”only metal barriers now surround the monument, but the debris remains scattered on the ground.
With a Metropolis and a City led by elected environmentalists from the same political party, the situation could seem simple to resolve. However, the blockage persists. A reality denounced by Hafid Sekhri, president of the La Duchère neighborhood council :”They are people from the same political side, that should simplify things. Well no, it's still in this state.”
Vague management between the Metropolis and the City of Lyon
During the council meeting of the 9th arrondissement on December 3, the subject was raised. François Genouvrier, 1st deputy of the 9th arrondissement, detailed the steps taken: “We contacted the Metropolis, because this monument, located on public property, should be under its jurisdiction. But the response we received was a refusal to carry out the necessary studies to clarify state ownership.”
For Hafid Sekhri, the situation is incomprehensible: “This monument was not placed there yesterday, it has been there since 1968. It’s crazy to think that we don’t know who has been taking care of it all this time.”
Faced with this blockage, two avenues have been put forward: first of all, legally clarifying the ownership of memorial monuments. The objective would be to transfer these responsibilities to the City of Lyon, to speed up decision-making. Secondly, request exceptional authorization to act on a metropolitan property. This would allow the City to carry out emergency repairs while awaiting a lasting solution.
However, no concrete action has been launched to date. Hafid Sekhri gets annoyed, “It's December 31 and there's still nothing. The barriers are there, but the debris hasn't even been removed.”
Romain Blachier, former elected official and now an associative actor in the 9th, for his part challenged the majority of Grégory Doucet, who could only recognize that the situation was stalling.
Alain Giordano, opposition councilor and former mayor of the district, recalls, referring to old mandates, that these situations are not new:“There were already problems with state ownership. But we found solutions and repaired them quickly. If we start to hide behind legal positions, we don't move forward.”
For the moment, the monument remains abandoned, awaiting administrative clarification or a “real” emergency intervention.
