Company “Butmir” Files Lawsuits Against Citizens Blocking Construction

The owner and director of the construction company „Butmir“, Šemso Imamović, announced in an interview with the Bosnian news agency Patria a lawsuit against citizens who are obstructing the construction of a residential-commercial building in the Sarajevo neighborhood of Čengić-Vila, worth nearly ten million KM, due to which the company has been suffering financial losses for several months.

The company „Butmir“ began construction of a residential-commercial building on its own land in Čengić-Vila several months ago, but a group of citizens has been obstructing the construction for some time.

They claim that the building will destroy the green area, the children's playground, and also increase air pollution in the neighborhood.

Imamović explains that the citizens' claims are far from true. The company is building on its own plot, has obtained all necessary documentation, received a positive opinion from experts, and has adapted the building to the citizens' demands.

The building's height has even been halved. The investor abandoned the construction of a high-rise so as not to block the view of neighboring buildings.

- We noticed that there are several people who are raising tensions among other citizens to stop the works. They are doing this for their own interests – said Imamović.

- We tried to talk to them, to make them understand the facts that are on our side, but we are not succeeding. However, since our calculations show that every day of delay in construction causes us financial losses, we decided to end the agony. We are proceeding with lawsuits – Imamović announced.

Although Imamović did not want to comment on this, insiders claim that his company is only collateral damage. The group of citizens, under direction, wants to harm the Mayor of the Novo Sarajevo Municipality, Nedžad Koldža, and they are using the „Butmir“ construction site only as a pretext for attacks on him, writes Patria.

The land around which the dust has now been raised was allocated to Butmir back in 2001 by the Novo Sarajevo Municipal Council and the then mayor Željko Komšić, after which Butmir became the owner of the construction land, not the green area as persistently presented in some media.