In 2024, the design and execution project for the new building of the Ministry of Interior of the Sarajevo Canton planned

(Patria) - At the end of 2023, the Prime Minister of Sarajevo Canton Nihad Uk and the director of KJKP "Vodovod i kanalizacija" Rusmir Salić signed a contract on the transfer of ownership rights with consideration regarding the space in Kolodvorska Street, where the new building of the Ministry of Interior will be constructed.

This step brought the Ministry of Interior of Sarajevo Canton closer to achieving a long-standing goal, which is the construction of a new building and administrative headquarters. However, the signing of the contract was preceded by a series of key steps and activities that had to be undertaken to initiate the project of building the new Ministry of Interior building, for the first time since 1997.

According to Minister Admir Katica, the project of constructing the new Ministry of Interior building is something he has advocated for since the beginning of his mandate, and he will persist despite all difficulties.

"This is not just a matter of the administrative headquarters of the police; it is a matter of security for all of us, our children, our future. Patiently, step by step, in 2023 we overcame obstacles to be one step closer to our goal - the construction of the new Ministry of Interior building. We held a series of meetings with the management of KJKP 'Vodovod i kanalizacija' to reach an agreement on the transfer of ownership, with the Municipal Council and the Mayor of Novo Sarajevo Municipality, on whose territory the building will be constructed, with the Institute for Construction of Sarajevo Canton, which is our strategic partner in this project and without which we could not proceed, as well as with all other stakeholders in this project. I can freely say that in 2023 we resolved issues without which the building could not be built and which had been stumbling blocks for years," explained Minister Katica.

Last year, working groups were formed that partially focused on resolving individual issues related to the building and continuously reported on the results of their work and the difficulties they encountered. One of the issues they faced, which had to be resolved, was the impossibility of constructing the building due to the Decision on temporary protection measures for ventilation corridors of Sarajevo Canton. Although the obstacles grew day by day, the possibility of giving up was not an option, and they were systematically addressed.

Finally, on November 7 last year, the Assembly of Sarajevo Canton gave consent to the Government to conclude a contract on the transfer of ownership rights between Sarajevo Canton and KJKP Vodovod i kanalizacija, and at the end of December, the contract regulating this was signed. After that, the Ministry of Interior of Sarajevo Canton continued coordination with the competent institutions to expedite procedures as much as possible. Maximum support for the project was provided by the Institute for Construction of Sarajevo Canton, led by Director Belma Barlov, the strategic partner of the Ministry of Interior in this project, without whose clear guidelines and expert inputs the project would not have progressed so quickly.

Intensive cooperation was also carried out with the Institute for Development Planning of Sarajevo Canton, the Roads Directorate of Sarajevo Canton, and the Faculty of Architecture in Sarajevo to regulate the accompanying activities for the construction of the central building of the Ministry of Interior of Sarajevo Canton. All working meetings so far have been held in a productive atmosphere, and a commitment was expressed for all institutions and competent administrations to be fully involved in regulating all necessary legal and infrastructural issues so that the project can come to life as soon as possible.

In 2023, the conceptual design for the demolition of the existing building on this location was also completed, and demolition will begin during 2024. The plan of the Ministry of Interior of Sarajevo Canton and Minister Katica is to complete the conceptual and execution design of the new building this year, secure administrative permits, and remove the existing building from the site.

Let us recall, at the location in Kolodvorska Street, near the former Energoinvest building, there is an unfinished structure whose construction began in the late seventies of the last century with the purpose of housing the administrative building of 'Vodovod i kanalizacija'. Nothing has been done on the site for decades, nor has the started construction been completed. On the other hand, the location is ideal for the construction of the central administrative building of the Ministry of Interior of Sarajevo Canton, due to the nature of the work that will be performed there, as well as the area required for construction.

The central building of the Ministry of Interior of Sarajevo Canton represents one of the largest, but certainly also the most complex projects of this ministry, and it will house the ministry headquarters, traffic police, and the Novo Sarajevo Police Administration.