BUDIMIR: BAM TEN MILLION AT RESIDENTS’ DISPOSAL AS OF MONDAY

PRIJEDOR, MAY 16 /SRNA/ - The Minister for Scientific and Technological Development and Higher Education of Republika Srpska Željko Budimir has stated today that Prijedor holds special strategic importance for Republika Srpska and that the Government has created a national plan for the city development, including plans for multimillion investments.

He said that Mayor Slobodan Javor informed him that BAM 10 million for flood damage recovery will be available to citizens as of Monday, May 19, and that one of the first measures includes BAM 5.5 million for the river Sana's bed and the construction of a retaining wall. "Prijedor will become a large construction site in the coming period, and many public investments from the Republika Srpska Government will be directed here. Some of them include approximately BAM 130 million for the reconstruction and expansion of the hospital, BAM 20 million for a bypass road from Sanski Most, and BAM 15 million for Kozarska Dubica," Budimir told the press in Prijedor, where he attended the formal gathering marking May 16, the City Day. He announced that the city will develop at a faster pace and emphasized how proud he was of a project from his line ministry. "We will build a higher education centre. That is BAM 15 million investment. We will also reconstruct elementary schools - about BAM three million, secondary schools - around BAM 800,000. A new library is also planned, which is another multimillion investment," Budimir said. Mayor Slobodan Javor stated that the goal of the May festivities, which mark the City Day, is to emphasize the most important life values such as family, youth, growing up, sports, culture, and education. "Today we are joined by the best students, so it's very important for us to highlight young and educated people because they are the key to the success of our local community," Javor said. Nataša Bubalo, a final-year student at the Academy of Arts with a perfect GPA of 10.00, is one of five top students awarded BAM 5,000 each by the city. "You have to spend a lot of time at the academy to succeed and produce enough work to even consider having a solo exhibition. It requires a lot of work, dedication, and time to create anything art-related. It's often very exhausting. This award is a great encouragement for further work, education, and direction to further education within this profession," said Nataša. Srđan Radanović, a final-year student at the Faculty of Political Science, has a GPA of 9.83. "Of course, such social support means a lot to us. We are glad it exists. It's essentially proof that we've done well so far and that we must work even harder in service of the city, society, and the state," Radanović said.