Old Town Municipality reacts to the collapse of the Jajce Barracks wall

SARAJEVO, (Patria) - Regarding the collapse of the Jajce Barracks chimney and the material damage caused to residents of Tabijska Street in Vratnik, the Old Town Municipality of Sarajevo calls for an urgent reaction from the City Administration of Sarajevo, in order to prevent such incidents and avoid far-reaching consequences. The lack of investment and maintenance of the Jajce Barracks has led to the facility being in a very poor condition, endangering not only property but also the lives of residents.

The Old Town Municipality has been trying to resolve the issue of the Jajce Barracks – a non-perspective military property – for more than ten years, requesting the Government of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina to cede this facility to the Old Town Municipality for use.

The intention was to protect the Jajce Barracks from further decay and give it a purpose in line with current market conditions, and to put the facility and the surrounding road into function. Requests have been sent to the Government of FBiH since 2008, and several meetings have been held with all relevant institutions, however, there has never been the will or readiness to return this facility to the Old Town Municipality for its disposal.

Regarding the collapse of a part of the Jajce Barracks, the mayor, Mr. Ibrahim Hadžibajrić, also made a statement, reiterating that the Municipality has been seeking this facility since 2008, and pointed out that the problem could have been resolved long ago.

“A few years ago, the Commission for State Property of BiH made a decision to exclude the Jajce Barracks from the ban on disposal of state property and that further disposal of the facility would be carried out exclusively in the manner and according to the procedure prescribed by the valid regulations of all levels of government in BiH. At that time, we held a meeting in the Old Town Municipality and agreed to request once again from the Government of FBiH to make a decision on the right of disposal over the Jajce Barracks facility in favor of the Municipality,” said Hadžibajrić.

The meeting was also attended by representatives of the Institute for Urban Planning of Sarajevo Canton, who confirmed at the time that the existing planning documentation was not in conflict with potential interventions on this facility, and there was an approximate estimate for the reconstruction of the facility.

„At that time, we calculated that the reconstruction of the facility, as a cultural and historical monument, would cost around 12-13 million euros. However, the complete reconstruction project of the facility, including interior design depending on its new purpose, then the reconstruction of road infrastructure, and the possible construction of a funicular to the facility, would cost much more, around 25-30 million euros. It is no secret that we had interested investors, and we also proposed announcing an international tender,” explained Hadžibajrić.

Despite all of the above, the Government of FBiH has never made a decision in favor of the Old Town Municipality. Instead, at the beginning of this year, the Government of FBiH granted the Jajce Barracks to the City of Sarajevo for temporary use for a period of 49 years.

“Today we have what we have, the facility continues to decay, no investments are made in it, and only so-called ‘cosmetic works’ are done, removing vegetation and lighting, while the walls are collapsing and there is constant danger. The solution is not managing the facility, but its disposal, as I have emphasized from the beginning. Only in that case are investments, reconstruction, and development possible… everything else is just maintaining the existing situation. But, since the City of Sarajevo has been given this authority, we demand that they carry out the renovation and protect citizens from the constant danger that threatens them,” stated Hadžibajrić.

The Old Town Municipality still believes that the best solution for the Jajce Barracks is to grant it to this local self-government, which would, in accordance with its competencies, find the best solution for the status of this facility, protect it as a good of architectural heritage, and put it into economic use.

The Assistant Mayor for Investments and Communal Affairs, Adis Hadžović, and the Assistant Mayor for Local Development and Local Community Affairs, Selma Velić, inspected the site of the Jajce Barracks wall collapse early this morning, after which the Civil Protection Service of the Old Town Municipality also arrived on the scene. In order to warn citizens of the danger at this location, Civil Protection installed warning signs and tapes today.