The Center for the Protection and Study of Birds (CZIP) and KANA / who if not an architect have expressed concern regarding the published public calls by the Ministry of Spatial Planning, Urbanism and State Property - one for the development of a conceptual design and main design and the other for the revision of the main design of Velje brdo Boulevard, with a total value of 95.000 euros excluding VAT, which will be paid from the budget - that is, with citizens' money.
The Ministry of Public Works has announced two public procurements within the implementation of the project to build Velje Brdo Boulevard with accompanying infrastructure in Podgorica.
As announced by the relevant ministry, this creates the conditions for the beginning of the implementation of the "Velje brdo" project.
"The first public procurement relates to the development of a conceptual design and main project for a boulevard with accompanying infrastructure, and the estimated value is 75.000,00 euros excluding VAT," the statement said.
As stated in a joint statement by CZIP and KANA, although these appear to be development-oriented activities, a key question arises: on the basis of which planning or legal document are these public procurements being carried out, given that the Amendments to the Spatial and Urban Plan (SUP) of the Capital City of Podgorica have not been adopted, nor has the Spatial Plan of Montenegro (SPCG) been adopted until 2040, and the Velje Brdo location is not included in the valid strategic and planning documents.
"CZIP and KANA once again point out that the implementation that has begun is taking place without a legal and planning basis, which was preceded by a scandalously conducted public debate in December 2024, and ignoring the warnings of the professional public and the civil sector through submitted comments. Even so far, we do not have a report from the public debate, although representatives of the Ministry claimed that these Amendments would be adopted by the end of last year," the statement states.
According to them, at the same time, while public money is being ruthlessly spent on populist and unfounded ideas of the current government, issues that are fundamentally important for the lives of the citizens of Podgorica remain unresolved - such as the construction of new schools, health centers, public transportation, and kindergartens.
"Instead, green areas are being concreted over and temporarily converted into parking lots, further degrading the quality of life and urban ambience of the capital. Taking all of the above into account, it is clear that public procurement for conceptual designs and project revisions have no legal basis, because they are not based on valid planning documents, and that spending public money on these activities is unfounded and represents a risky precedent, which must be urgently stopped! We call on the Ministry and other competent institutions to immediately suspend all activities related to these projects until valid planning documents are adopted through a transparent and inclusive process that includes experts and the public," the statement reads.
They said that, when it comes to potential impacts on the biodiversity and ecosystem of the area, the consequences are not easily visible at this time because it has never happened that a completely new city for 40 inhabitants was built in the immediate vicinity of a nature park and in part of the third zone of a protected natural area.
"Using space on this scale is certainly a threat to many plant and animal species, as it endangers their habitats, reduces biodiversity and potentially leads to local extinction of certain species. We must not forget the fact that the main city water source is endangered and that intensive construction and an increase in the number of inhabitants can lead to contamination of groundwater due to inadequate wastewater management, chemical pollution, use of pesticides in urban gardens, etc. We can also assume that the Zeta River could suffer changes in its hydrological characteristics due to increased water use, surface water drainage and possible discharge of untreated wastewater. The impact of increased traffic is also not negligible, which also includes air pollution and noise as additional negative factors for the environment. We call on the public, media and institutions to carefully monitor and react to this case, as it is a case that can have long-term negative consequences for legality, spatial development and environmental protection," the CZIP and KANA statement reads.
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