Clarification from the Stari Grad Municipality on the demolition of the building at Hamdije Kreševljakovića Street

SARAJEVO, (Patria) - The removal of the dilapidated building at 86 Hamdije Kreševljakovića Street will soon begin, as it has been determined that due to physical dilapidation and damage it poses a great danger to people and property – surrounding buildings, passers-by and traffic participants, and it is located on a very busy street, the Stari Grad Municipality announced today.

In the previous period, the competent municipal services worked on resolving this issue, both in terms of determining the danger and ordering demolition, and in terms of resolving the issue of the building's owners and tenants. Incidentally, since the beginning of this year, the Stari Grad Municipality has launched extensive activities to register all dilapidated buildings on its territory and compile a priority list for demolition. High among the priorities is the building at Hamdije Kreševljakovića Street, opposite the so-called Papagajka.

The Inspection Service determined the condition of the building and issued a conclusion ordering the owners to remove the danger back in February of this year. As the conclusion was not complied with, this service issued a decision on May 20, 2019, for the complete forced demolition of the building. In the coming period, a procedure will be conducted to select the most favorable contractor for the demolition of this extremely dangerous building, and then proceed with its removal. 

The owners of this building are the Stari Grad Sarajevo Municipality, and private individuals Mirza and Safera Sudžuković, Amila Lagumdžija and Savka Lipić. It has also been determined that the only current users of the building are Suada Karamustafić-Guja, who resides in a municipal apartment, and Mirjana Basta, who uses an apartment owned by Amila Lagumdžija. Both are considered unauthorized users of the apartments, as they are not holders of tenant rights, nor do they have allocation decisions or contracts for the use of the apartments. They cannot purchase the said apartments on any basis, nor can they be allocated to them on any basis, even if these were not dilapidated buildings.

The female tenants were informed of the above by the Service for Property-Legal, Geodetic Affairs, Cadastre and Housing Affairs back in February of this year, but they clearly showed opposition to leaving the building, which is completely substandard and dangerous for life, as was emphasized to them. Taking into account that these are elderly people living alone and respecting their right to a home, regardless of the situation in which they found themselves due to the application of legal regulations, the Mayor of Stari Grad Municipality, Mr. Ibrahim Hadžibajrić, ordered the competent service to find replacement apartments for Basta and Karamustafić-Guja, owned by the Stari Grad Municipality, which they would use for life with minimal rental costs. The female tenants were then offered housing units in Logavina Street and Muse Ćazima Ćatića Street, and during the past month they were taken to view the apartments.

Mirjana Basta refused the offered solution and raised a number of objections, while Karamustafić-Guja has not yet commented on the offer. The apartments offered to them are in far better condition than those they currently occupy and, with small investments, can be used normally for living, and above all, their safety from possible building collapse would not be endangered.

During the resolution of this procedure, Mirjana Basta and Suada Karamustafić-Guja hired lawyers to represent them. The Stari Grad Municipality considers their demands unrealistic, unjustified, and that, contrary to expectations, they reject any possibility of a compromise solution. The municipal services will take all necessary actions to implement the decision and prevent the building from collapsing onto the street or neighboring buildings, which could lead to serious consequences. At the same time, activities to evict the female tenants from the building at 86 Hamdije Kreševljakovića Street will continue for their own safety, and other competent authorities and institutions will also be involved.