Minister of Spatial Planning, Construction and State Property Branko Bačić visited Petrinja, where he inspected two families who have had their homes built, as well as the construction sites of two multi-storey residential buildings comprising a total of 69 apartments, valued at nine million euros.
According to data presented by the minister, 16,000 residential units have been reconstructed on 11,000 sites so far, while reconstruction is ongoing at a further 1,100 sites. In the Sisak-Moslavina County, 558 new family homes have been built, with a further 213 under construction. Property rights issues are being resolved for the remaining houses so that construction can begin, and a total of 1,000 replacement houses will be built by the end of next year.
Bačić announced that all multi-storey buildings in the area affected by the Petrinja earthquake will be reconstructed by the end of the decade. He also stated that the reconstruction of Petrinja’s historic core, specifically buildings that are part of a protected cultural-historical ensemble, will continue. He added that €2.1 billion has been spent so far on reconstructing the area affected by the Petrinja earthquake, while total investments in the reconstruction of the Petrinja and Zagreb areas amount to €5.2 billion.
The minister also reported that talks have begun on directing a portion of the newly built apartments owned by the Republic of Croatia into an affordable housing programme. Sisak-Moslavina County will thus receive a significant number of new apartments through the construction of 59 multi-storey buildings with a total of 1,024 residential units, with some of these apartments soon to be offered to young families under the affordable housing programme.
Ivan Celjak, the prefect of Sisak-Moslavina County, highlighted an increase in the number of newborn children, as well as the number of new pupils in schools in the county. Magdalena Komes, the mayor of Petrinja, expressed satisfaction with the pace of reconstruction and emphasised that the number of people registering their residence in Petrinja is higher than the number of those deregistering from the city.
In response to questions on current political topics, Deputy Prime Minister Bačić stated that caution is needed when it comes to dismissals, adding that the Homeland Movement’s request for the dismissal of State Secretary at the Ministry of the Interior Tomislav Bilandžić would be discussed at the next meeting of the parliamentary majority. He also stressed that the appointment of ministers and state secretaries is within the competence of the Prime Minister, who decides in consultation with coalition partners.
