After several attempts and deferments, the Roma families living in the unhygienic settlement under the “Gazela” bridge in Novi Beograd, have been displaced today without any incidents. The new homes of the Roma are housing containers situated in 13 boroughs of Belgrade, which applies to those Roma only whose residence is registered in Belgrade. All those that are not, are returned by bus to their respective municipalities of origin.

 

The housing containers are 16 square meters in size and fulfill all standards, whereby dual containers are being provided for families that have more than six family members in the household. For every 10 containers there are provisions of a shared sanitary facility with two water junctions and two shower cabins, whereby the containers will also be equipped with a water supply, electricity and sewerage.

 

According to the mayor of Belgrade, Mr. Dragan Djilas, who visited the settlement located under the “Gazela” bridge, this problem has already been present in the city for several decades. “When we declared several months ago that we will solve the matter in a way that all inhabitants of Belgrade are satisfied, including those living in this settlement, many did not believe it, whereas today, due to the cooperation with the Ministry of Interior and the city services, it has been in fact an excellent operation and what we had promised to be completed by 31 August we have indeed accomplished”, Djilas stated.

 

“The furniture is decent enough, the containers are equipped with a thermo-isolation layer, sufficient enough so that it is not too cold in the winter or too warm during summer, whereby there will be a heating device in every container. The city verdure will arrange a playground, build rocking chairs and seesaws, plant grass and trees and all that is required in order to enable these people to function normally”, said Milan Krkobabic, the deputy mayor. According to his statement,  the entire project is worth 80 million RSD, while the value of one mobile housing unit with furniture and intended equipment lays between five and six thousand Euros.

 

Also present during the displacement of the Roma settlement was the Commissar for Refugees of the Republic of Serbia, Vladimir Cucic, together with his assistants, who has emphasized that among those Roma families that are being displaced there is not one family of refugees or internally displaced persons, but just in case, the Commissariat was ready and organized to provide for the transportation and the accommodation in collective centers for such families.