Owners Locked Out of Enjub Mall Weeks After Fire

Nearly three weeks after a fire erupted at the Enjub shopping center in New Belgrade on June 15, owners and tenants remain locked out of their businesses, with no clear answers on the cause or when they can return. The affected section of the mall has been sealed off by construction inspectors, and police maintain a 24-hour guard under the orders of the Third Basic Public Prosecutor's Office.

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For a month, no one is talking to us, for a month families are without income, contributions and fees are arriving, and no one is asking where to start. Our belongings are trapped, our paperwork is trapped. We can't even start somewhere else because everything is inside.

Red warning tape, signifying danger, still marks the perimeter, accompanied by regular police patrols. For the affected business owners, the situation is dire. Suzana Vučković, a shop owner, expressed deep frustration, stating that no one has addressed their concerns for a month. "For a month, no one is talking to us, for a month families are without income, contributions and fees are arriving, and no one is asking where to start," she said. "Our belongings are trapped, our paperwork is trapped. We can't even start somewhere else because everything is inside."

Vučković highlighted the broader impact, noting that around 120 businesses are affected, each representing a family, with an average of three members per family. "So you see how many people are on the street," she stated. "We are not asking for charity. We are asking to be allowed to work. To work in our premises, which are not, the lower parts are not damaged by the fire."

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So you see how many people are on the street. We are not asking for charity. We are asking to be allowed to work. To work in our premises, which are not, the lower parts are not damaged by the fire.

Adding to their distress are bureaucratic obstacles. Vučković mentioned being told they had an advantage over a previous fire at another mall because they had a project plan for Enjub. However, she claims this project plan has now disappeared. "Where is the project of our shopping center? Energoprojekt did it. We don't have the papers. We don't have the documents... We've been sent from one counter to another. There is no paperwork for us to start any work," she explained, emphasizing the critical need for documentation, especially for the upper-level shops that were destroyed and require renovation.

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Where is the project of our shopping center? Energoprojekt did it. We don't have the papers. We don't have the documents... We've been sent from one counter to another. There is no paperwork for us to start any work.

The inability to work has severe financial consequences. Vučković shared the plight of her employees, including a family of five and a mother of three, all now unemployed. "We have loans, we have contributions, we have fees. No one asks where from. The state expects us to pay. So where do we get the money to pay?" she questioned, underscoring the mounting pressure of financial obligations amidst complete loss of income.

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We have loans, we have contributions, we have fees. No one asks where from. The state expects us to pay. So where do we get the money to pay?