VUKOVAR SHOPPING CENTRE AGAINST MINISTRY DECISION VUKOVAR, Nov 22 (Hina) - Shop owners and investors into a shopping centre built in downtown Vukovar in 1996 said at a news conference on Saturday they would appeal against a decision
ordering that the centre be torn down as it was built contrary to relevant legislation.
VUKOVAR, Nov 22 (Hina) - Shop owners and investors into a shopping
centre built in downtown Vukovar in 1996 said at a news conference
on Saturday they would appeal against a decision ordering that the
centre be torn down as it was built contrary to relevant
legislation. #L#
They said that they had requested the convalidation of construction
and other permits on the basis of which the centre was built,
referring to the Erdut agreement on the peaceful reintegration of
the Croatian Danube river region.
"If the centre is torn down, about 100 people will be left without
their jobs. We wonder who wants to see more people lose their jobs in
Vukovar, given the already high number of unemployed," one of the
centre's investors, Mirko Smiljanic, said.
Smiljanic says that the procedure for obtaining location,
construction and other permits for the construction of the centre
had been observed.
The shopping centre in Vukovar was built in 1996 by a group of Serb
business people at the time of the temporary UN administration in
the area.
The construction permit was issued by the then local authorities.
The Croatian Ministry of Environmental Protection and Zoning on
October 30 decided that the shopping centre in Vukovar should be
torn down because it had been built without valid permits.
Minister Ivo Banac said last week the decision would go into force
once the ministry received confirmation that the investors had
received it.
The shopping centre houses a total of 37 shops owned by 21 business
people and its demolition is supported by the Vukovar town
government.
(hina) rml