THE PUBLIC MUST KNOW: Hamdo wants to sell Igman!

By Rasim BELKO

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We are used to residential complexes being built on children's playgrounds, we are used to the urbicide that aesthetically destroys settlements and cities. We are also used to a mini-city at the foot of the ski slopes on Bjelašnica. 

We have gotten used to many things. What you are about to read has not been done by any government in Bosnia and Herzegovina yet. The mayor of Hadžići, Hamdo Ejubović (SDA), and his council majority have launched an operation codenamed "Sale of Igman". 

This is another story where we elect a minefield for ourselves through elections, and then we wonder why we are getting hurt. 

About 15 days ago, I saw a post in a Facebook group: "The sale of 380,000 m2 of Veliko Polje on Igman is being prepared." Not believing that Hamdo was ready to sell Igman again, I reread the post.

Then I contacted its author. Admir Mujanović, a municipal councilor in Hadžići (Independent Bloc), replied within minutes. "I am ready to prove everything with arguments and documentation," was the response. 

Mujanoivć brought a bag of documents from which it is clear that Hamdo cannot sell Igman alone and that there are many more players in this game, those at the bottom and those at the very top. 

Project "Igman - Veliko Polje"

"To avoid being misunderstood, I am not against investments and investors. They are always welcome. But I am against Veliko Polje being sold to someone, against one of the best air spas in Europe being taken away from citizens. I am against building in the strictest water protection zones. This is of interest to the wider public, to the entire canton," explains Mujanović. 

While looking through the documents, I came across an old acquaintance of the construction games in this canton. Faruk Kapidžić, fortunately for the citizens of KS, a former minister, is one of those who form a piece of Ejubović's puzzle for the sale of Igman. 

Thus, Kapidžić, contrary to expert opinion, and even with opposing expert opinions, gave a positive opinion on the urbanistic plan "Igman - Veliko Polje".

"The Ministry of Spatial Planning, Construction, and Environmental Protection gives a positive opinion on the Supplement to the Strategic Environmental Impact Assessment of the Urbanistic Project 'Igman - Veliko Polje', whose developer is the Center for Economic, Technological, and Environmental Development CETEOR," states Article 1 of the Opinion signed by the then minister, Faruk Kapidžić. 

Ejubović and the project creators probably thought they had finished the job then, so this plan was included in the agenda of the previous session of the Hadžići Municipal Council. The proposer was Ejubović. However, the plans were soon jeopardized by the arrival of the new government in Sarajevo Canton. 

One "URGENT" changed everything

Before we describe in more detail what was urgent, it is necessary to point out that there is a document of Opinion that former minister Kapidžić did not sign. In this Opinion, experts, as well as other institutions concerned with the "Igman - Veliko Polje" project, presented all the harmful consequences, shortcomings, and the possible collapse of the water supply to the City of Sarajevo. 

Although he should have signed precisely this expert Opinion, which was supervised by Zijada Krvavac, Assistant Minister for Environmental Protection, Kapidžić decided to create a different, illegal, and unprofessional opinion document. 

Mujanović says that this project would maximally endanger Sarajevo's water supply. 

"The project covers the second, third, and fourth categories of the water area. Below this area is the lake from which Vrelo Bosne originates. For example, the second category is the catchment area, through which all waters from Igman flow and end up at Vrelo Bosne," adds Mujanović. 

And here we come to the "URGENT" part. In a document marked "URGENT", signed by the new minister Enver Hadžiahmetović, it states, among other things: "A comprehensive Opinion on the Report on the strategic assessment of the environmental impact of the plan in question, based on the expert opinion of the Environmental Protection Sector, competent authorities, and expert institutions, has been prepared, but for unknown reasons, it has not been officially delivered to you. We are correcting this oversight on this occasion."

At the end of this document is the core of the problem: "If, despite warnings that significant procedural errors have been made and public opinions have been disregarded, the adoption of the Plan continues, we will consider the Institute responsible for violating regulations, non-transparent, and unprofessional work during the preparation of this Plan."

And lo and behold, at the aforementioned past session of the Hadžići Municipal Council, the proposer of the agenda item, the Urbanistic Project Plan "Igman - Veliko Polje", Mayor Ejubović, withdrew the item from the agenda. 

However, this does not mean he will give up by a long shot. 

"The public is key. The public must get involved in this story. The awareness of citizens must change. Igman is the property of the citizens, and someone wants to sell it. There are far simpler solutions. Let the KS Assembly declare Igman a public interest area, and then let the Municipality of Hadžići grant concessions for that area to the investor. I am not against projects, but I am against this kind of work. And one more thing, underground garages and similar facilities must not be built. There are much better and easier ways to solve this," says Mujanović. 

He adds that he would like to discuss this issue in detail with arguments on a TV show with former and current ministers, experts, and Mayor Ejubović.

Last but not least, it should be said that the BiH Olympic Committee, as well as numerous other institutions and individuals, have expressed their opposition to the project. 

It's time to realize that it's ours and that no one has the right to take Igman away from us, Mujanović would say. 

We would conclude that it is high time we started taking care of our destiny and the destiny of the country in which we were born. Because if Hamdo is ready to sell Igman, will the next Hamdo sell the country!?