“The ministry received 763 applications by yesterday. The Fund has not received even one,” the Fund’s director, Damir Vanđelić, said in Donja Stubica, about 50 kilometres northwest of Zagreb, adding that the fund was paying out allowances for urgent repairs, with 242 such payments having been made so far, and that it was in charge of emergency accommodation.
Asked whether the Ministry of Physical Planning, Construction and State Assets was perhaps boycotting him, Vanđelić said that “so far no one has been boycotting me.”
“I believe that the process will start at a particular moment because I have seen those people in Banovina, too, helping citizens fill out application forms. They will start forwarding the applications at a particular moment,” he said and reiterated that he did not believe the ministry was boycotting him in any way.
Vanđelić met in Donja Stubica with Krapina-Zagorje County Prefect Željko Kolar and his associates as well as other local officials to discuss activities related to reconstruction in that county.
Speaking about the start of reconstruction works, Vanđelić underscored that he first needs to be issued with a decision to that effect by the ministry, after which he will be able to say when reconstruction will begin.
He noted that he would be heading the Fund for some time and that when reconstruction was launched and gained momentum, he would asked to be relieved of his duties.
“I definitely will not serve the full term because I will do my best for reconstruction to be launched sooner. If we fail to make it sufficiently fast, I will resign,” said Vanđelić, appointed on Tuesday for a term of four years.
Kolar said that the damage in Krapina-Zagorje County from last year’s two earthquakes, with the second happening on 29 December and hitting Sisak-Moslavina County worst, had so far been estimated at HRK 115 million.
During the meeting it was said that structural engineers would inspect buildings that were initially labelled green but have been damaged since and will most likely now be issued with yellow labels.
It was also noted that some families could not claim damages because their houses were built without a building permit.
