Politics
Tuesday, 5 January 2021
Standardised Solutions for Faster Post-Quake Reconstruction, Says Minister
ZAGREB, 5 January 2021 - If standardised solutions are adopted in the reconstruction of earthquake-hit areas, more comprehensive reconstruction could begin in six to nine months, Construction Minister Darko Horvat said on Tuesday. He was speaking to the press after a meeting at the Zagreb Faculty of Civil Engineering which was attended by architects, builders, seismologists and construction material manufacturers. They discussed the temporary accommodation of people who lost their homes in last week's tremor and the reconstruction of damaged buildings. Horvat said that if standardised solutions were chosen, projects would be ready very soon and that the Zagreb faculties of civil engineering…
Tuesday, 5 January 2021
Task Force Head Says Around 1,000 Container Homes Needed
ZAGREB, 5 January 2021 - Deputy PM Tomo Medved, who heads the task force dealing with the aftermath of the December 29 earthquake, has said that 1,000 container homes were needed to provide accommodation for people whose homes were made unlivable by the earthquake and that domestic producers were involved in the process. Touring the earthquake-hit communities of Sisak-Moslavina County, Medved said that some people whose houses were damaged had good reason to refuse to leave their homes. "We will find a way to protect them and provide them with accommodation. According to preliminary estimates, around 1,000 containers are necessary…
Tuesday, 5 January 2021
Minister Announces Reconstruction of Roads, Railway Station in Sisak
ZAGREB, 5 January 2021 - Sea, Transport and Infrastructure Minister Oleg Butkovic on Tuesday visited the Sisak Railway Station and the Brest bridge over the Kupa River at Petrinja, announcing the reconstruction of the two facilities most heavily damaged in a 6.2 magnitude earthquake that hit the area on December 29. "The total damage to state roads has been estimated at around HRK 70 million, and repair work will start urgently... Damage to county roads has been estimated at some HRK 20 million and those funds will be secured through the Croatian Roads company. As for local and unclassified roads, we will ask…
Tuesday, 5 January 2021
Minister: Task Force Dealing with Aftermath of Dec 29 Quake to Work 24 Hours a Day
ZAGREB, 5 January 2021 - Deputy Prime Minister Tomo Medved said in Petrinja on Monday that the newly-established task force dealing with the aftermath of the December 29 earthquake in Sisak-Moslavina County, which he was heading, would operate 24 hours a day for all those in need of help. Medved was appointed in line with a government decision to head the task force dealing with the consequences of the December 29 earthquake in Sisak-Moslavina, Zagreb and Karlovac counties. The task force held its first meeting in the Petrinja barracks on Monday evening. "We have received reports on work done so…
Tuesday, 5 January 2021
Horvat: Institutions Will Determine Irregularities in Post-War Reconstruction
ZAGREB, 5 January 2021 - Physical Planning and Construction Minister Darko Horvat said on Monday that state institutions would determine whether there had been irregularities in the post-war reconstruction of houses in the quake-hit area, many of which had sustained a lot of damage despite that reconstruction. 25% of buildings completely unusable Horvat, deputy head of a newly-established task force in charge of removing the consequences of a devastating earthquake that hit Sisak-Moslavina, Zagreb and Karlovac counties on December 29, said that over 17,000 damaged buildings had been registered so far, 5,400 of which had been checked by structural engineers, of…
Monday, 4 January 2021
Index Investigation: Milan Bandic Took HRK 3.35 Million from Schools, Gave to Snow Queen Instead
January 4, 2021 - An Index.hr investigation has revealed that Zagreb Mayor Milan Bandic took HRK 3.35 Million from schools and gave it to the Snow Queen skiing competition instead. The earthquake in March severely damaged several schools and kindergartens in Zagreb, and the coronavirus pandemic revealed that some schools did not have hot water or soap to wash students' hands and maintain basic hygiene. When distance learning began, we learned that the system did not work and that teachers did not have the equipment to provide quality teaching. Zagreb Mayor Milan Bandic ignored all these problems or even mocked…
Monday, 4 January 2021
Construction Minister: Prefab Homes as Lasting Solution in Quake-Hit Area
ZAGREB, 4 January, 2021 - Physical Planning and Construction Minister Darko Horvat said on Monday some houses destroyed in last week's earthquake would be permanently replaced with prefabricated homes, and that those responsible for the collapse of houses built after the 1990s war would be held to account. Asked by the press if the reconstruction of Sisak-Moslavina County would be incorporated into the law on the post-earthquake reconstruction of Zagreb, Horvat said a decree to that effect was being finalised and that the government would address it on Thursday. The decree will make it possible for the Zagreb reconstruction law to apply to Karlovac…
Monday, 4 January 2021
PM for Looking Into Why Some Houses Poorly Rebuilt After War
ZAGREB, 4 January, 2021 - Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic said on Monday it was necessary to look into why some houses were poorly reconstructed after the Homeland War, adding that he did not have more details. Speaking to the press, he said "it's necessary to look into how and why that happened, who did the job, who supervised, who issued the final certificates of occupancy." Plenkovic said that at the moment he did not have more details and that he would ask Construction Minister Darko Horvat and the state secretary in the State Reconstruction and Housing Office, Nikola Mazar. "It's not good that there are…
Monday, 4 January 2021
Education Minister Says Focus on Organisation of Classes in Quake-Hit Area
ZAGREB, 4 January, 2021 - Science and Education Minister Radovan Fuchs said on Monday that around 50% of education facilities in the earthquake-hit areas of Sisak-Moslavina County were unusable and that work was under way to organise classes. "There are 58 educational institutions in the area and there are 5,658 pupils in Glina, Petrinja and Sisak. So far 42 buildings have been inspected and nine are unusable, 11 are temporarily unusable, 22 are usable, so roughly 50% of the facilities are out of service," Fuchs said. He said his ministry's activities in the coming period would be directed towards organising classes for…
Monday, 4 January 2021
Minister Says More Than 1,000 Soldiers Have Participated in Quake Relief Efforts
ZAGREB, 4 January, 2021 - Defence Minister Mario Banozic said on Monday that more than 1,000 soldiers had participated so far in efforts to alleviate the consequences of the December 29 earthquake in Sisak-Moslavina County. Speaking to reporters ahead of a government session, Banozic said that the Croatian Army had secured accommodation for 380 civilians in the Petrinja barracks and that it was caring on a daily basis for 400 people who came occasionally to the barracks to sleep there. Banozic noted that the army had helped keep local roads clear, removing rubble and making it possible for other services to enter towns…
Monday, 4 January 2021
Plenkovic: We Are Declaring State of Disaster Due to Petrinja Earthquake
January 4, 2021 - Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic announced that a State of Disaster has been declared in the Croatian counties affected by the Petrinja earthquake. Jutarnji List reports that Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic opened the Government session on Monday, which began with a minute of silence in memory of the eight young people who lost their lives near Posusje in BiH a few days ago. "Today, we have points mainly related to repairing the damage from the earthquake. I am greeting you with prefect Žinić, prefect Kožić, and acting prefect Furdek Hajdin. There is also Mr. Markt, the…
