Konaković and Lukić with Mayors: How to Overcome the Stalemate in Legalizing Illegal Construction

Regarding illegal construction in the Sarajevo Canton, the search for legal frameworks to regulate this area, and the open issues faced by municipal administrations in the field, the Prime Minister of Sarajevo Canton Elmedin Konaković and the Minister of Spatial Planning, Construction, and Environmental Protection Čedomir Lukić discussed today with the mayors of Sarajevo municipalities and their relevant assistants, reports the Patria News Agency.  

- As the deadlines for submitting applications for the legalization of illegally constructed buildings under the current Decision have long expired, and a certain stalemate has occurred in this regard, as Minister Lukić pointed out, the need has arisen to find ways to regulate the status of these buildings and collect multi-million claims for permits and fees required for construction.

From the discussion on this topic, in which the municipalities presented their experiences from the field and the "bottlenecks" in the fight against illegal construction, it is clear that possible new legal solutions will need to more clearly define the circumstances under which and under what conditions the issues of each individual illegal building can be resolved.

The undivided stance of all today's discussants is a particular criticism due to the inaction of inspection bodies, a link without which the suppression and fight against illegal construction cannot be discussed. With the strengthening of the inspection staff, the Government wants to move things forward:

- With 23 new inspectors, whose employment we have approved, we want to strengthen field operations, we will demand their full presence and regular reporting on the situation and inspection activities. This will be a parallel process, along with our joint efforts to try to bring the current situation in the field, of course where regulations allow, into legal frameworks, emphasized Prime Minister Konaković.

He invited the municipalities to actively participate in the drafting of Amendments and Additions to the Spatial Plan of Sarajevo Canton, a document that directly regulates and prescribes the frameworks and plans for the development and construction of Sarajevo municipalities.

It was also agreed today that, due to many open issues and the need highlighted by the mayors of Sarajevo municipalities, working meetings of representatives of the Canton and municipalities on current topics from all areas within the jurisdiction of the Canton and municipalities will be held every month, it was announced from the KS Government.