Two ministers visit Zagreb residents accommodated in student dormitory

State Assets Minister Mario Banozic and Minister for Demography, Family Policy and Youth Vesna Bedekovic on Monday visited the Cvjetno Naselje student dormitory where Zagreb citizens whose houses were destroyed in the March 22 earthquake are currently staying.

Banozic said that they discussed the problems encountered by citizens affected by the earthquake and advised them how to collect the necessary documents and fill in applications for government grants to cover the cost of rent in alternative housing.

He said that he was informed of the problems of people whose homes were marked with a yellow label and who are claiming that their houses are not livable.

Banozic added that talks would be held this week with Zagreb City officials to see whether a review of properties can be conducted to see if they can be marked with a red label so citizens can be eligible to apply for alternative housing.

Commenting on a public letter to Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic by the leader of the Zagreb branch of the Social Democratic Party, Gordan Maras, Banozic said that Maras had shown negligence, ignorance and avarice during his political life.

Banozic added that despite having spent 20 years in high politics, during which he received allowances and salaries as a Member of Parliament and minister, Maras was not in a state to set aside one pay for Zagreb citizens.

Maras called for state and city owned flats to be granted to people whose homes were damaged in the earthquake and who cannot live in them.

Minister Bedekovic said that based on the applications for subsidised rent, the situation would be inspected and a formula would be found for adequate accommodation and housing for various categories of beneficiaries.

"When it comes to the issue of social welfare, one of the basic criteria to obtain adequate accommodation is to meet the criteria regulated by the law on social welfare," she underscored. 

She added that according to information available to the ministry, which cares for the most vulnerable groups, so far 19 guaranteed minimum allowances and 69 one-off payments of support had been paid to people staying at the student dormitory.

"That is evidence that during the entire time of the crisis we have been cooperating and taking care of all those affected by the earthquake and have been providing our beneficiaries with everything that the social welfare system is supposed to provide them with," she said.

State Assets Ministry State Secretary Krunoslav Katicic said that more than 20 officials had been deployed to a temporary office in the dormitory in order to assist people when applying for alternative housing.

He added that the idea is to provide a similar service in other areas of Zagreb and its environs.

Text: Hina

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