Since no Croatian company applied to the tender, the job of cleaning up the areas hit by devastating fires near Split during the summer went to a business from Slovenia.
One Croatian absurdity can be seen in Žrnovnica near Split. The trees that were burnt more than three months ago in massive forest fires there, and which represent a danger for the local population, are being cut down by a Slovenian company because not a single Croatian business submitted its bid for the tender, reports RTL on November 19, 2017.
Trees are being cut down one by one. For months, they have threatened the safety of drivers and passers-by, and now they are finally being removed. Heavy machinery even had to stop traffic at Žrnovnica, since the clean-up efforts were proceeding in a forest near the road.
“They are cutting down trees near the road, so they do not fall on cars. The trees are then taken away. Many people from Slavonia come here to pick up the threes because locals from Dalmatia are not interested,” said Marin Markovina from Žrnovnica.
There is a good reason why it took full three months for the works to begin. “The Croatian Forests public company could not have started with the works before since it had to announce a public tender, and no one submitted a bid. The tender had to be announced three separate times, and then a company from Slovenia sent its offer, which is the reason why they have started doing the works just recently,” said Siniša Marin, chairman of the Žrnovnica Local Council.
The fires and later rains also brought some other problems to the area, including landslides and black water coming from the kitchen faucets. For a few months, residents of Žrnovnica and surrounding region have been using water from special tanks. “The water is clear now, and my impression is that we could use it, but they keep repeating that it is not yet ready to drink,” said Josip Strujić from Žrnovnica. “We use the water from tanks for cooking, while tap water is fine for washer machines,” adds Ljubica Kušenić.
Another problem is that the water system in Žrnovnica does not have a permit, although it was constructed 30 years ago. “The Public Health Institute will not issue a written certification that drinking water is clean because the water supply system has no permit. Its construction was funded by citizens themselves, and it has never received permission,” explains Marin.
Žrnovnica is supposed to eventually get a new water and sewage disposal systems as part of the Eco-Kaštela Bay project, but legal issues have not yet been solved.
Translated from RTL.
