Bela Crkva Canopy Collapse Reignites Questions Over Bus Station Neglect

Bela Crkva Canopy Collapse Reignites Questions Over Bus Station Neglect
A section of the canopy at Bela Crkva’s main bus station collapsed overnight between November 11 and 12, when no one was on it. Police arrived, cordoned off part of the station and secured the area, while bus services continued according to schedule.

The damaged section was partly obscured by out-of-service buses, according to reports. No injuries were reported, and the collapse did not disrupt regular departures. The incident nevertheless drew attention because the station is located beside a plaza where young people gather.

Local councillor Marjan Fiksmer, head of the “For Our Bela Crkva” civic group, described the collapse as the latest sign of a long-running maintenance problem. He said his group had repeatedly warned that the station required renovation, arguing that older public facilities were not being properly inspected.

“[It] seems as if it has been deliberately neglected, because we warned about the problem many times and said adaptation was necessary, but nothing happened,” Fiksmer told N1. He also criticized what he called party-based appointments and linked the station’s condition to broader failures in local infrastructure.

Fiksmer’s group is seeking an urgent professional safety assessment of the entire station, immediate securing and repair of the damaged canopy, inspections of other potentially dangerous sections, and a public account of maintenance work and future plans. It also called for responsibility to be established, including among station management and municipal services.

N1 said it had sent questions to the Bela Crkva municipality about the collapse and next steps, with responses to be published if received. Until then, police controls remain the immediate official response, while the wider question of the station’s condition remains unresolved.