Experts in geology, civil engineering, and urban planning agree on one thing: the dramatic collapse of a road in Kragujevac’s Bubanj neighborhood is not the result of heavy rain, as officials and the investor claim, but instead the direct consequence of chronic corruption, illegal construction, and the reckless urban chaos enabled under Aleksandar Vučić’s SNS regime.
The collapse occurred near the Center of Excellence, where a section of the access road gave way, triggering political finger-pointing and institutional confusion. It was later confirmed that the company constructing a nearby residential building had no valid permit and that the construction site had been shut down by inspectors only a week earlier.
Despite this, the investor insisted everything was “under control,” attributing the disaster to rain and snow. Experts strongly dispute this narrative.
Đajić: Not Rain — Corruption and Poor Construction
Geological engineer Zoran Đajić says the cause is obvious: the area is a geologically unstable slope that should never have been exposed without proper structural support.
According to him, the collapse happened because no retaining wall was built, and the soil on the slope was almost guaranteed to slide.
Đajić stresses that the real issue is a systemic one:
“For years, construction here has been done in the cheapest possible way. Corners are cut everywhere — on materials, on essential stabilizing structures — simply to maximize profit.”
He states that investors and engineers frequently use extremely poor-quality concrete instead of reinforced or pre-stressed concrete, solely to save money.
“The foundation of all these disasters is corruption. Someone always earns from bad construction.”
Dašić: Under SNS, Even the Roads Are Starting to Collapse
Civil engineer Danijel Dašić is even more direct:
“Incompetence, irresponsibility, and arrogance — that’s the ‘holy trinity’ of SNS construction.”
He warns that Serbia is now at a point where even low-rise infrastructure like roads is collapsing, not just buildings.
Dašić points out that the supposed “retaining wall” was nothing of the sort — merely a thin reinforced-concrete shell held up by three piles.
He adds that the site was known to be a landslide area for more than half a century, which is why nothing had been built there before.
Yet, under today’s investor-driven urbanism,
“the only ‘green’ that matters is the green of money.”
According to him, had the collapse not occurred, the illegal project would likely have continued unnoticed, eventually endangering even more people.
Dašić sarcastically suggests that authorities should now try to find “an SNS-approved expert” capable of stabilizing the slope — though he doubts such expertise exists within party ranks.
The greatest danger, he warns, remains the possibility of loss of life.
Trifunović: Nothing Used to Collapse — What Changed?
Architect and urban planner Veroljub Trifunović, who led the Kragujevac Urban Planning Directorate for decades, says he has never witnessed such a collapse during his 50 years of professional experience.
He notes that when rules were respected and oversight was professional,
“nothing collapsed. Everything built was solid.”
Asked what changed, Trifunović only offers a rhetorical question:
“What else could cause this, except the abandonment of rules and professionalism?”
He calls for a return to strict procedures, unified oversight, and respect for both planning and engineering standards — all of which have been systematically dismantled under political pressure.
Conclusion
The collapse in Kragujevac is not an isolated incident but a symptom of a much deeper problem: the complete degradation of construction standards under the SNS government, where political interests consistently outweigh public safety.
Experts agree: this disaster was not an accident — it was the predictable outcome of corruption, illegal construction, and a regime that prioritizes profit and party loyalty over professional standards and human lives.
