Efendić: There is no solution to this problem in Sarajevo Canton until the government changes

(Patria) - Unfortunately, there is no solution to this problem in Sarajevo Canton (KS) until this government changes. The Troika had 7-8 years here, which is quite enough time.

Even before that, Elmedin Konaković was prime minister for three years. And he somehow introduced into our politics this principle of incompetence, of ignorance in every field, characterized by a lot of talk and no results.

This was stated tonight by the mayor of the Sarajevo municipality of Novi Grad and the president of the Party for BiH, Semir Efendić, who, on the show "Dan uživo" on N1 television, commented on the problems faced by Sarajevans, as well as other citizens of BiH, with "sudden" snowfall and government incompetence.

Yesterday and the day before yesterday, the main topic in BiH was snow removal. Citizens complained, officials defended themselves, and most cities were in chaos. Are you satisfied with how "Rad" reacted to the precipitation?

- Yesterday, I only provided one piece of information, and it is a fact that at one point, out of all the vehicles that the public utility company "Rad" was supposed to have on the streets of Novi Grad, only three were operational.

What happened that so many vehicles broke down in such a short time?

- That number is certainly small, but even that small number seems poorly maintained, and so we have a situation where we must at least know the causes of this state. It is clearly related to the lack of machinery, and probably people.

Does anyone check the condition of these companies, or their vehicles, before they get the job?

- It's generally fine on paper. And even when you visit the "Rad" base, the vehicles are probably there, and we had six guaranteed vehicles the whole time. The problem here is deeper.

It is true that adverse weather conditions have caused many problems beyond Sarajevo, but in Sarajevo, this utility sector has not been functioning for a very long time. This is already a chronic problem. You had information that no vehicles for the public utility company "Rad" have been purchased for six, seven, or eight years.

Not only "Rad", but other companies are also in big trouble. You know, last year we had leptospirosis because there had been no pest control or disinfection for several years, because the grass hadn't been mowed regularly. We have problems with these things in Sarajevo.

We know what the problems are with water supply and sewage, that it sometimes takes months to repair a fault. I have written several times about lighting repairs. We have a situation where there is no one to fix a light bulb that is not working. That too can take months.

We have a proverb in our people: "Snow doesn't fall to cover the hill, but for everyone to show their tracks." This time, it has clearly shown that the company "Rad", which has a long tradition in Sarajevo, has been maintaining our streets for over 50 years, is truly no longer capable or strong enough to do it.

First and foremost, I think the cause is politics. That politics, which has been reflected in the utility and public sector for years, has led to the companies simply being destroyed. That they no longer have the strength. You cannot enter such extremely difficult conditions without prepared machinery and people. I assume that the cause of all these machines breaking down is a lack of servicing.

Today, there is information that KJKP "Rad" spends more than two million KM annually on machine repairs. Why is the condition of the machinery not discussed before the start of the winter season, but only when problems occur?

- Because the vehicles are worn out. They have their lifespan. Servicing can be cost-effective up to a certain point, and after that, it is probably more cost-effective to buy a new vehicle.

I remind you that at one point we had information that the company did not have money to register vehicles, that they had many unregistered vehicles, when there were problems related to garbage collection. But what is happening here?

I think that in the last five or six years, we have already had the third or fourth director in a row. A female director, then a male director, then an acting director, then one is accused, then arrested, etc. First and foremost, these problems arise from the Government and the KS Assembly. It gets reflected.

Therefore, that company has neither the opportunity nor the possibility to set things right, to see what their problems are, to make a plan, to acquire sufficient organizations. It always gets reflected through some director who is replaced, a new one is appointed.

Then the question is who will be the executive director and who will hire whom. And no one is actually dealing with these real problems. I think, unfortunately, there is no solution to this problem in Sarajevo Canton until this government changes.

I think the government here has had enough time. This government, the Troika, has been in power for 7-8 years. Even before that, Elmedin Konaković was prime minister for three years. And he somehow introduced into our politics this principle of incompetence, of ignorance in every field, characterized by a lot of talk and no results.

There are no deeds from all of that anywhere. And this has simply caused the entire utility sector to collapse. And the company is working. We know how it is with summer maintenance of green areas, with breakdowns, with the electricity grid, or with public lighting, with the water supply network, and so on.

All companies are in almost the same situation. There is a lack of machinery and people. And these are not difficult problems to see, but the one who should solve them, which is the Government, which is always a coalition, the Assembly, which is also a coalition, and all those interests are reflected.

These companies ultimately suffer the consequences. I would propose that a law be passed to transfer some responsibilities to the municipalities in Sarajevo Canton. We would be ready as municipalities, I believe other municipalities would be ready to take over part of these tasks if an adequate law were passed, because the Sarajevo cantonal law has assigned these tasks to cantonal companies.

I must say that the municipality of Novi Grad alone collects about 25 million convertible marks annually from income tax paid by 43,000 employed residents of Novi Grad, and these funds end up because we, supposedly, have common utility infrastructure or supply in KS.

In all other cantons, at least 34% of income tax belongs to the municipalities. If that were transferred to Novi Grad or to Sarajevo Canton, we would have 25 million marks annually and we could acquire adequate equipment not only for snow maintenance but for everything else we need. All of that somehow disappears into this large well of the KS budget, which is not even enough for all those funds.