President Milanović in Banija: Reconstruction is too slow, the funds exist but organisation is lacking

The President of the Republic Zoran Milanović was in Banija today, where he visited the communities that were damaged in an earthquake one year ago: Sisak, Petrinja, Novo Selo Glinsko, Majske Poljane and Glina. During his stay in the quake-hit area, President Milanović spoke with local government leaders and citizens whose apartment buildings and houses were damaged in the quake and who are still awaiting reconstruction.

“A year has passed, things are going slowly. If something doesn’t change in a couple of months, fine, but a lot should have been completed by now,” President Milanović said in the town of Glina after touring the damaged areas and meeting with the residents of Banija. Speaking about the infrastructure, he said that the national power company HEP has done a lot, adding that “it seems to me that a lot of money has been spent but little is visible. It could have been done in a smarter way, it’s a matter of organisation,” the President pointed out. He said that Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Veterans’ Affairs Tomo Medved, who chairs the Government’s task force in charge of dealing with the consequences of the earthquakes in Banija, is hard-working but has no proper influence because he doesn’t decide on key matters.

“I visited the people whom I have already visited and nothing has changed”, said President Milanović, adding that there is no justification for the fact that construction of their houses has not begun. “The worst thing I saw is the case of an apartment building in Sisak that is unusable. It needs to be torn down. A year has passed and people are still in containers. That’s 500 people to whom nobody is giving any information. The town of Sisak cannot fix that, the state must do it,” he said.

Asked by journalists whom he considers the most responsible for this state of affairs, President Milanović replied: “The Prime Minister. I know how it was in the crises I managed. In Croatia, laws change in accordance with the needs. Some streets were paved and that’s good, but people live in containers without toilets. There is no justification for that,” he underscored.

“I would adapt the laws and avoid excuses. There is no gradualness and subsidiarity. On the one hand, we see theft in public procurement, and on the other hand, everything is standing in one place due to public procurement. Things need to move faster. People are struggling with permits in the hamlet of Majske Poljane. Things should have been mostly finished or in an advanced stage of implementation. Because the funds exist and there has never been more money from donations. It is not the result of the work of the Government, these are European funds that have not been spent,” President Milanović replied to a journalist who asked him what he would do differently.

Prime Minister Andrej Plenković was booed today in Petrinja by disgruntled residents and journalists asked the President to comment on that: “I would show up in Petrinja if I had something to show for. A contract for the construction of a gymnasium will be signed there. People need flats, not a gymnasium,” said President Milanović.

Speaking about post-earthquake reconstruction in the town of Zaprešić and other towns that were damaged in last year’s earthquake, President Milanović said that they are not in the spotlight because the damage there is much less severe and those areas of the country are wealthier. “Let’s concentrate on the situation here. This is a town. Why aren’t the laws adapted to the needs of this town or the town of Petrinja? Change the laws. This is a problem of organisation and crisis management,” President Milanović concluded.

Accompanied by the Mayor of the town of Sisak Kristina Ikić Baniček and the Deputy Mayor of Sisak Marko Krička, President Milanović toured a residential building in Sisak that was damaged in the earthquake and spoke with the tenants of the building who are housed in residential containers in a container home community.

During his stay in Petrinja, President Milanović visited the residents of the “Sajmište” container home community in the company of the Deputy Mayor of Petrinja Ivan Prskalo, the President of the Petrinja Town Council Robert Polanščak, the Director of the local communal services firm Komunalac Petrinja d.o.o. Mr. Željko Tonković and the Director of the container home community in Petrinja Pavao Kardaš.

President Milanović visited the Norković family in Novo Selo Glinsko and the Bjelajac family in Majske Poljane. In Novo Selo Glinsko, the President of the Republic was joined by the Mayor of Glina Ivan Janković and the Deputy Mayor of Glina Branka Bakšić Mitić, as well as by the Mayor of Sveta Nedelja Dario Zurovec and the member of the Samobor Town Council Stjepan Razum – towns that have launched a humanitarian effort that will raise funds for the complete reconstruction of one residential building in the area affected by the earthquake.

President Milanović ended his visit to Sisak-Moslavina County in the town of Glina by meeting with members of the association DOBRO DOBRIM and volunteers who are continuously involved in helping residents of the area affected by the earthquake.

Adviser to the President for Human Rights and Civil Society Melita Mulić, Special Adviser to the President for the Economy Velibor Mačkić and Special Adviser to the President for Homeland War Veterans Marijan Mareković were alongside President Milanović.

PHOTO: Office of the President of the Republic of Croatia / Tomislav Bušljeta