Letter from Topčić Polje: Local Community Representatives are Heavily Involved in Fraud with Humanitarian Aid

It is evident that aid to flooded areas is moving too slowly, and that many people want to "fish in troubled waters" at this moment, as evidenced by a letter from a resident of Topčić Polje that was published on a blog, reports the Patria News Agency.

- I was born in Topčić Polje and I have a house there that was flooded in the recent disaster. We don't live there, but last year we completely renovated the house, did the facade, floors, carpentry, and everything else. Now, most of it is destroyed after the flood, the facade is destroyed, the rooms on the ground floor that were furnished are flooded and there was about a meter of mud inside. We had to lift the floors, we can't close the doors, we have stripped the walls and left them to dry. Everything is still like that because we are waiting for it all to dry. 

However, it's not as painful as the fact that we cannot get any help from anyone, neither in materials nor in anything else, absolutely nothing, really nothing. When we ask the local community representatives why we are excluded, they say they have nothing to do with it and that the municipality decides everything. When we ask the municipality, they say that humanitarian organizations distribute it in cooperation with the local community. We simply believe that there are some shady dealings going on, and considering that other residents are also complaining about the unequal distribution of humanitarian aid, I think that the local community representatives are heavily involved in fraud with the aid. 

Sometimes I hear in the village that they are not giving us aid because my brother works in America, which is true, but I get no benefit from him working there. I live on a modest pension, and that is all my income – the letter states.

On the other hand, the leaders of the Local Community and the Municipality continue to maintain their positions that aid is distributed evenly and in accordance with the criteria.

The person who sent the letter published photos of the destroyed house, and it is not difficult to conclude the extent of the destruction.