At the meeting of the task force dealing with the aftermath of the earthquakes, Medved, who is the head of the task force, underscored the importance of lifting the limit on the fee for self-initiated reconstruction. This means owners are allowed to hire companies and start the reconstruction themselves, under the expert supervision of the Central State Office for Reconstruction and Housing, while the cost of the reconstruction will be covered by the state. Medved and Horvat said this change was expected to result in faster reconstruction and greater engagement of the construction sector.
Gordan Hanžek, State Secretary at the Central State Office for Reconstruction and Housing, said that 451 houses had been reconstructed to date, while about 200 were being reconstructed.
State Secretary at the Finance Ministry, Zdravko Zrinušić, recalled that by the end of July the state had invested HRK 817.3 million in the post-quake reconstruction in Banovina, with HRK 635 million coming from the state budget, while the remaining funds were provided by extrabudgetary entities such as the HEP power provider, the Narodne Novine official gazette company and others.
To date, a total of 336 buildings have been removed in the quake-hit Banovina, and another 26 are being removed.
The meeting also discussed the difficulties in the regular functioning of cities and municipalities in the area affected by the earthquake. Since their revenues are significantly reduced, Medved and the Finance Ministry will propose to the government a model for the financial recovery of the cities and municipalities.