Dissatisfaction in Željezno Polje is partly justified, aid must come faster

Protests by a group of citizens from Željezno Polje, who lost their homes in May and are now demanding faster resolution of their problems from the authorities, are partly justified and partly not, said Šerif Patković, the FBiH Government Commissioner for landslide-affected areas in Željezno Polje and Žepče, for the Bosnian news agency Patria.

The citizens are demanding that the authorities resolve their problems faster. They complain that the municipal administration is slow. Patković agrees that some things should proceed faster, and that affected citizens should be provided with decent accommodation as soon as possible, but in some matters one must also be objective.

- From the time the landslides appeared until today, there have been wrong assessments. Everyone thought that life could no longer be restored in Željezno Polje, but now it is clear that is not the case. However, it will now take time to determine where it is possible to live again and where it is not - says Patković.

- And for experts to give their opinions on whether it is possible to live somewhere again or not, a lot of work and time is needed - he adds. However, the fact is, he further warns, that some people want to profit from this plight of the affected. He says he will do everything to prevent that.

A group of about a hundred citizens, who lost their homes during the catastrophic landslides in Željezno Polje and were subsequently accommodated in a collective center in Žepče, protested in front of the municipal building, demanding that the authorities resolve their housing issue as soon as possible.

- A problem has arisen between the leadership of the Local Community of Željezno Polje and the Municipality of Žepče. They still have not found a common position on how to resolve the problems of the local people - said Patković.