Special Regulation: Who Will Manage and Maintain Playgrounds in Sarajevo Canton

The management, maintenance and introduction of standards for street furniture in public areas, playgrounds and recreational spaces will be regulated by a special regulation to be prepared within the next 30 days by a working team of representatives from all Sarajevo municipalities and the Ministry of Communal Affairs and Infrastructure of Sarajevo Canton.

This is the most important conclusion of today's meeting of the Prime Minister of Sarajevo Canton Elmedin Konaković, ministers Senad Hasanspahić and Čedomir Lukić with the mayors of municipalities and directors of public utility companies, hosted by the Mayor of Novi Grad Municipality Semir Efendić, reports the Patria news agency.

The recent tragic loss of a child's life at one of Sarajevo's playgrounds raised the alarm and highlighted the lack of regulations that should clearly specify who takes care of and who is responsible for the condition and safety of children's playgrounds, as well as other public areas.

As Mayor Efendić pointed out, almost every playground has some form of devastation, and for this reason more than 90% of playgrounds are considered inadequate and unsafe for use. The reason for this can also be found in the imprecise legal definition of those responsible for their care, in addition to the public companies "Park" and "Rad", which within their scope of authority have an obligation to take care of the hygiene and tidiness of such areas.

The Law on Communal Cleanliness of Sarajevo Canton is a sufficient legal basis for adopting a regulation that will govern this area. Prime Minister Konaković emphasizes that it is important to specify the dynamics of further steps:

-The Government and the relevant ministry will immediately start drafting this regulation, and together with the local community and legal experts, we will regulate this area. This is also the time for budget preparation for the next year at all levels, and there will be time to define and plan funds for such purposes. The regulation will specify who will manage these areas, who will supervise them, and the standards for the equipment installed.

I believe that local communities can also be an important link in the chain of actors dealing with this task. They have the best insight into their localities and can be the first link that records changes and mobilizes further actors, Konaković emphasized.

In addition to more precise legal regulation, the importance of the role of inspection and police was highlighted due to the constant devastation of these areas. Only those areas that are under round-the-clock supervision, and there are few of them, are not targets of breaking and destruction. In such circumstances, police and inspection authorities are the only addresses for suppressing such vandalism and preserving safe public areas, the Government of Sarajevo Canton announced.