17.12.2013.

Awarding keys ceremony in Stepa Stepanovic residential area

Defence Minister Nebojsa Rodic handed the keys to the newly built housing on the site of the former barracks " Stepa Stepanovic " in Belgrade, building 3A , to active and retired members of the Ministry of Defence and the Serbian Armed Forces. In the next two days 87 families will move into their new homes.

The ceremony was attended by the State Secretary Zoran Djordjevic , Assistant Minister for Material Resources Jasminka Todorov , Head of Human Resources , Major General Slađan Djordjevic , then Chief of the Infrastructure Sector of material resources , Colonel Milan Sladoje , chief of the military construction center " Belgrade " Lt Col Davorko Palikuća and Director of the Building Directorate of Serbia Nebojsa Šurlan .

Minister Rodic sent a message to all those in the defence system to be an incentive for those who waiting for the solution of housing problems .

- So far 589 family members of the defense system moved into new homes. Not only in Belgrade , but a number of flats have been allocated to other garrisons in Serbia and we continue to do so. Today , 41 families entering into new apartments, 46 will enter tomorrow , with 142 apartments remaining. It obliges us to look at how we start a new cycle – when older officers retire , and the young finishing the military academy , and expect help from the state , because they are performing one of the most honorable jobs as Defence Minister stated wishing everyone a lot of health and success in the new apartments.

Colonel Sladoje said the project allocation is going according to plan, at a good pace . He pointed out that out of 748 apartments intended for members of the defense system some 490 have been granted and it is possible to obtain an additional 31 apartments for distribution.

Šurlan indicated that, in the framework of the project , all construction work completed , and that the rest of unallocated housing will quickly be assigned to members of the defense system. He said cooperation with the Ministry of Defence was very good , and expressed the desire to make it so in future projects .

The project for construction of apartments, in cooperation with the Building Directorate of Serbia , began in January 2011. At the site of the former barracks, which covers 42 acres of land , residential-commercial complex with 4616 apartments, 156 shops, 1430 garage places and 3300 open parking spaces. 21 percent of gross space in the colony "Stepa Stepanovic " belongs to the defence system and is used for solving housing problem of the Serbian military.