ZAGREB, Oct 20 (Hina) - Officials of the Croatian Ministry of Public Works, Reconstruction and Construction, on Friday promised to returnees that the reconstruction of houses in the war-hit areas would be completed by the beginning of
2002, the owners of which applied for the renovation by 15 October 1997. After their meeting held behind the closed doors in Zagreb, Ljudevit Herceg, an assistant to the Reconstruction Minister, said 2,640 houses were currently being repaired while the reconstruction of 520 houses would soon start thanks to the international community's loan. Herzeg said all who submitted applications for the reconstruction of their war-devastated houses could expect that they would be able to move into the renovated homes by the beginning of 2002. He added that applications for the reconstruction were still being received from Croatian citizens of the Se
ZAGREB, Oct 20 (Hina) - Officials of the Croatian Ministry of Public
Works, Reconstruction and Construction, on Friday promised to
returnees that the reconstruction of houses in the war-hit areas
would be completed by the beginning of 2002, the owners of which
applied for the renovation by 15 October 1997.
After their meeting held behind the closed doors in Zagreb,
Ljudevit Herceg, an assistant to the Reconstruction Minister, said
2,640 houses were currently being repaired while the
reconstruction of 520 houses would soon start thanks to the
international community's loan.
Herzeg said all who submitted applications for the reconstruction
of their war-devastated houses could expect that they would be able
to move into the renovated homes by the beginning of 2002.
He added that applications for the reconstruction were still being
received from Croatian citizens of the Serb descent.
The returnees' association asked the ministry to help change a rule
book on the furnishing flats and family houses, regarding it as
unfair that persons who were not entitled to the reconstruction of
houses were also given no right to get assistance in the furnishing
of their homes.
They urged the Government to allocate more financial means for the
Government's Office in charge of returnees and refugees, when it,
along with the Finance Ministry, should revise the budget or adopt
new ones.
They warned that persons who offered accommodation to displaced
persons and refugees had not given money for paying their bills for
public utilities, and now the provision of power and gas supplies
was discontinued for them.
The returnees asked greater assistance than the current grant worth
just 150 kuna (approximately 17 dollars per month).
Supporting the Government's request that displaced persons still
lodged in hotels should leave such facilities, returnees suggested
that those displaced people be moved into one hotel and were given
priority in the reconstruction.
The returnees complained about poor economic conditions in the war-
hit areas where they came back. The chief reason for leaving those
areas again is a high unemployment rate of over 50 percent, they
added asking for the creation of more jobs, more favourable credit
lines, the commencement of the privatisation there.
(hina) ms