In the debate on the show Načisto on TV Vijesti, the highway project, the issue of the Smokovac interchange, feasibility studies and alternative solutions were discussed.
Stream of the show:
21:27 "I expect a surprise for all the citizens of Montenegro when all this comes to fruition," said Keković. Ulićević said that he sees this section of the highway as Montenegro's stake for the future.
21:23 Keković read data from a study by the European Investment Bank, which ordered that the highway not be built.
21:20 Keković said that he expected the reaction of the profession, especially people from the faculty and the construction chamber, to the fact that a three billion euro contract was signed based on general projects. "Everyone knows this, construction students know this," said Keković.
Ulićević said that the contract and project with Konstruktor failed, because it was not good.
21:16 Bojanić believes that politics overcame the profession regarding the highway project. He stated that the construction and the project were planned by a populist story about the development of the north and the reduction of the number of accidents.
21:12 Ulićević explained that the Detailed Spatial Plan foresees the Smokovac interchange, but that does not mean that there were no better solutions. He clarified that the fact that there is no loop in the conceptual project does not mean that it is not in the contract.
21:07 In participating in the debate, Milodarka Novosel, a resident of Smokovac, said that she was worried until now, but now she is afraid after everything she heard on the show. "Mr. Brajović's statement was denied tonight," Novosel said.
She recalled that three local communities from Piper requested that the interchange be built on Strganica and that it would be a responsible solution. Novosel asked Ulićević if he would give his consent to the conceptual project made by the Chinese, according to which Albania is entered by highway via Ulcinj, and not via Božaj.
21:05 Kalezić confirmed that the installation of the loop at Strganica was a cheaper and more environmentally friendly solution than Smokovac. "The practice is to do three variant solutions, and here none was done," added Kalezić.
She praised former mayor Miomir Mugoša, who had an ear, so a variant solution for Strganica was made.
21:00 Kalezić said that she could not believe that any proposal of the opposition regarding the highway ran into a wall, regardless of whether it came from an expert. She said she was relieved that the loop was not part of the project, because she thinks it should be solved in a different way.
"There is a lot of evidence that it was frivolously planned," Kalezić said.
20:58 Petar Komnenić stated that both the World Bank and the IMF are skeptical of the highway...
20:55 Bojanić reminded that the fact that the highway has tied up public finances is enough of a loophole.
20:49 Keković said that an earlier study from the conceptual project done by the Faculty of Civil Engineering showed that the price could have been lower by 160 million euros. He said that the feasibility study is being done based on the conceptual design, and that the study from 2012 recommended that it be returned.
Keković reminded that the contract signed with Konstruktor in 2008 was worth three billion euros, and that such a contract does not exist anywhere in the world.
20:45 Ulićević explained that what is designed cannot increase the price, only what is outside of it. He said that he advocated for the main project to be carried out in Montenegro, and that later the law revoked the Faculty of Civil Engineering's license to carry out projects.
20:43 Kalezić asked why the main project was not done, especially since there was time after the termination of the contract with Konstruktor.
20:39 Ulićević said that it is not only the loop that has not been paid for, but that there are other projects and shares that have not been paid for, such as the water supply project. "We have to pay the difference".
20:35 Ulićević stated that he does not follow the media very much and therefore is not familiar with politicians' statements. He said that an integral part of the contract is the project task and that the delay is not such a problem. Bojanic said that the MPs did not receive a project assignment.
20:31 Bojanic stated that he was not surprised by being deceived. He says he expects the loop will eventually be paid for by citizens. Bojanić said that he trusts Ulićević, but that on the website of the official institutions it is written differently when it comes to what is planned in the project.
"I don't trust Ivan Brajović. He doesn't tell the truth, both for smaller and bigger things," said Bojanić.
20:30 Keković said that he is not surprised by the issue of the Smokovac loop and that he expects problems, especially when it comes to tolling. "Compared to what happened before, this loop thing is minor".
20:27 It was obvious that it was a luxurious area of the Podgorica reserve to make such a sacrifice, said Kalezić.
20:25 Kalezić said that they unsuccessfully tried to explain to the then Minister Gvozdenović that more time is needed to prepare the Detailed Spatial Plan, because all the others stem from it. "Such plans are applied to the existing situation in the area. This is a specificity that indicated the conflicts that will arise," Kalezić stated.
20:24 Ulićević said that he does not believe that the public is being deceived that the loophole is covered with 809 million.
20:20 In the show, public data is shown, where four loops are mentioned, including Smokovac. Ulićević explained that it is necessary for the section of the highway to be in operation, and that there are always works that cannot be predicted and must be carried out.
20:18 Ulićević added that the interchange could not even be offered simply because it was not part of the conceptual project.
20:12 Professor Mladen Ulićević showed the conceptual design of the highway, where you can see a loop crossing two roads. He stated that the Smokovac loop was not an integral part of the conceptual project at the time of signing the contract.
20:08 The editor of the Načisto show, Petar Komnenić, said that the cabinet of Ivan Brajović replied that his obligations were planned in advance and that he was in Serbia. "I have already stated the truth about the loophole and there is no change," the cabinet said.
In the latest edition of the show Načisto with Petar Komnenić, watch the debate about the disputed Smokovac interchange. How is it possible that only now the Government is in a dilemma about what it contracted with the Chinese contractors and whose obligation is the construction of the interchange as an integral part of the project of the century? Is this problem solvable, or will citizens pay for the loop through the planned construction of the second phase? How planned was such a complex project and what other surprises await us?
How justified was the skepticism about the highway, which some perceive as a development project, and others as a noose around the neck of generations to come.
Speaking on this topic: Mladen Ulićević, professor at the Faculty of Civil Engineering and president of the state commission for the revision of the main project of the Smokovac-Mateševo highway section, civil engineer Ivan Keković, Jelisava Kalezić, retired professor of the Faculty of Civil Engineering and the first elected teacher of urban planning at the University of Montenegro and Mladen Bojanić, economist.
Bonus video:
