FBiH Government Tied the Hands of FBiH Railways and Gave the Job of Track Repair to Highways: Lasić Refused Them - It's Against the Law!

By: A. Čorbo-Zećo

It didn't take long for the railway workers of the company Željeznice FBiH to clear the track, do everything within their scope of work to re-establish railway traffic on the M-17 section Jablanica-Mostar and the railway line on the Ostrožac-Jablanica-Grabovica section, after devastating floods hit this area.

However, the FBiH Government then tied their hands, and they could not proceed further, although there are indications that Željeznice FBiH could have made these parts of the track operational for slow traffic until the final repairs.

But, the Government of the Federation of BiH, for reasons known only to them, made a decision on October 16th, which excluded Željeznice FBiH from the repair process, and authorized Autoceste FBiH to carry out railway traffic repairs alongside road repairs!?

"Autoceste FBiH are tasked to, in cooperation with international financial institutions within already approved credit arrangements, check the availability of funds for the repair of road and railway infrastructure as soon as possible," is the conclusion reached by the FBiH Government.

This conclusion tied the hands of Željeznice FBiH. And so, they have been waiting for almost a month for a response, but what came from Autoceste (which was logical) is apparently being hidden by the responsible minister Andrijana Katić (HDZ), who received the letter.

The response from Autoceste FBiH has not yet been discussed at an FBiH Government session, and it is clear that there will be no quick solution in the near future!?

Namely, Autoceste FBiH writes that they should not be directly or indirectly involved in the repair and reconstruction of the damaged infrastructure, primarily because the engagement of JP Autoceste FBiH in the same works would constitute a violation of the provisions of the Law on Roads, primarily Article 13, Paragraph 1.

"We propose that the Ministry and the FBiH Government consider other options for the repair and reconstruction of the damaged infrastructure in accordance with the Law on Roads of FBiH and the Law on Railways of FBiH.




Article 3 of the Law on Railways of FBiH clearly states that the subject of the company's business is domestic and international railway transport, maintenance, modernization, and construction of railway infrastructure, and activities that serve the performance of railway transport.

It is now clear that the FBiH Government is rightly provoking the anger of businessmen, because it is obvious that it is still unknown who will finance the repairs, nor how.

The Chamber of Commerce of the Federation of BiH has also sent an appeal to the authorities for the urgent repair of the railway line on the Sarajevo - Ploče route.

"The connection of the north of our country with the south via road and railway infrastructure is crucial for the transport of goods and resources, enabling the connection of our region with domestic and international markets. Damage to the infrastructure, especially on the railway line, hinders access to the port of Ploče and causes significant delays in the transport of goods," the appeal states.

All of this has led to slower transport, increased costs, and potential loss of business opportunities, and could ultimately lead to factory closures, which would be a severe blow to the BiH economy.

It is precisely in this part that one can read why the responsible minister is being passive. Among the most affected companies are GIKIL, Adriatic Metals, Arcelor Mittal, Alternativa, Soda Lukavac, and Bimal, i.e., companies located in cantons or parts of BiH with a majority Bosniak population.

The FBiH Government is not being spurred on by the data from the Public Enterprise Željeznice FBiH, according to which their daily loss due to the blockade of railway traffic is as high as 280,000 KM.

"Economic entities have begun to suffer significant financial losses, have reduced their production capacities to a minimum, and if the situation is not resolved urgently, the consequences will worsen," the statement from the Chamber of Commerce states.

Meanwhile, the responsible minister is sleeping, as is the entire FBiH Government.