The President of the Republika Srpska, Milorad Dodik, said that the institutions will allocate ten million BAM to Prijedor for flood damage repair, and that in cooperation with “Vode Srpske” embankments will be built and the beds of the Gomjenica and Sana rivers will be widened.
“We notice that a serious problem has arisen for 700 households. The floods caused more damage than in 2014. We have decided to allocate ten million BAM to Prijedor. This will be allocated when the city expresses the need for it,” Dodik said at a special session of the Prijedor City Assembly dedicated to the floods.
He says that the problem has been evident in Prijedor for years.
“The government will allocate 5.5 million BAM to ‘Vode Srpske’ for flood protection. We will build a parapet wall of over a kilometer in Tukovi, over two kilometers in the Gomjenica settlement, as well as an embankment in Raškovac. We plan to widen the riverbed and level the curve of the embankment near Saničani. The funds will be available in the next ten days,” said Dodik.
He announced that work will also be done in the coming period to deepen the bed of the Sana River, for which five million BAM will be allocated on two occasions.
Dodik emphasized that the railway bridge in Brezičani will also be dismantled as soon as possible.
Resolve the issue of the Saničani Pond
“I have ordered the ‘Republic of Srpska Railways’ to send a commission to work on removing the bridge in Brezičani, which is not in use,” said Dodik.
Dodik emphasized that the key solution in Prijedor is the Saničani Pond, over which control must be established because it can affect floods.
He noted that the Government of Republika Srpska has promised to help the city buy it back through bankruptcy proceedings.
He pointed out that bankruptcy proceedings are taking a long time and appealed for this process to be accelerated and for the fishpond to be returned to the public sphere, that is, to the city.
Funds for projects in the fields of education, culture and sports
Dodik said that over 20 million BAM will be allocated for projects in Prijedor, and these funds will be used to finance projects in the fields of education, culture and sports.
“The Government has decided to build a Center for Higher Education in Prijedor, for which it is necessary to invest 15 million BAM in several phases. The Government is taking on this obligation. These are tasks related to the unification of school and accommodation facilities. Prijedor does not have a home for students,” Dodik said at a special session of the Prijedor City Assembly.
According to him, over three million BAM needs to be allocated for the rehabilitation of all school facilities in that city.
“We will start with that this year. It will be necessary to allocate 800,000 BAM for secondary schools. We will approve a portion of the funds from the President’s Office. You can count on 500,000 BAM,” said Dodik.
He pointed out that the construction of a sports hall in Prijedor has been a long-standing problem, emphasizing that it must be completed as soon as possible.
“Considering that we have received information that three million BAM is missing, you will receive that part of the funds from the President’s Office and the Government in the next two months. You will take over two million for the exterior decoration. I believe that we can finish it this year,” said Dodik.
He pointed out that funds are also missing for the construction of a kindergarten in the amount of 2.7 million BAM.
“1.5 million BAM is missing for the interior decoration of the facility. That will be allocated from my office and the rest will be financed by the city,” said Dodik.
Speaking about projects in the field of culture, the President of Republika Srpska said that the construction of a library is planned, for which four million BAM needs to be allocated.
“We will allocate one million BAM from the President’s Office, two million from the Government, and one million BAM from the City, and we will leave this problem behind. We will also approve funds for the Music School, and I am ready to approve 500,000 KM this year to start construction,” said Dodik.
He stated that he is ready to approve 500,000 BAM for the hall and for the Government to allocate an additional one million BAM for this project.
“I think we can do it and that we react quickly. We also have the construction of a sports hall in Omarska, which is not yet completed. These projects belong to everyone,” said Dodik.
He stated that Republika Srpska has the lowest budget deficit of 0.4 percent.
“Republika Srpska has a public debt of 30 percent of GDP. From the point of view of these parameters, it is suitable for support through credit lines. My team will work with you to implement all projects. It will not be easy, but if we do not start, we will never get there,” said Dodik.
In his closing remarks, he welcomed the tolerance among the peoples of Prijedor.
“You can count on infrastructure in those settlements. I will allocate one million BAM for projects that are important to them,” Dodik said.
