The Environmental Protection Agency has not given approval to the company "Inženjering put" for the Environmental Impact Assessment Study for the quarry at Milošev krš, so work at that location near Cetinje will not begin.
This is stated in the decision recently made by the Agency, which has a 15-day right of appeal.
The assessment of the Study for the quarry on Milošev krš has been ongoing since autumn 2023, as other approvals were also awaited, after which in June last year the Agency decided that "Inženjering put" should finalize and amend the document within a year. The Royal Capital also refused to allow the local road there to be used for the needs of this project, because that section is not suitable for simultaneous regular and heavy freight traffic.
The residents of Kosijeri, Bokovo, Đinovići and the surrounding Cetinje villages have been against the quarry for some time, and the reasons for this, as they previously told "Vijesti", are the danger of dust, exhaust gases, heavy machinery, noise and destruction of the local road.
"In the conducted environmental impact assessment procedure, it was determined that the Environmental Impact Assessment Study for the project of exploitation of technical and construction stone at the Milošev krš deposit was not prepared in accordance with the Law on Environmental Impact Assessment, nor with the comments of the Commission for the Evaluation of the Environmental Impact Assessment Study. The decision to reject the request for approval determined that the project holder cannot begin activities related to the project of exploitation of technical and construction stone at the Milošev krš deposit without the consent of the Environmental Protection Agency," the Agency's decision states.
One of the residents of the village of Đinovići Nikola Adzic told "Vijesti" that rejecting the Study for them means sending this harmful project into the past, as well as the victory of reason and a healthy environment over bad laws, practices and construction lobbies.
Asked about a possible appeal by the concessionaire, Adžić stressed that they do not expect one.
"According to last year's decisions by the Agency, it had to conduct a complete biodiversity survey of the wider site in the past year, as well as the impact on humans, which was not done, and therefore it is unnecessary to prolong the end of this harmful project. Yes, we think that this has resolved the issue of quarries in our area. I would like to mention that a new genus of the plant Petrolamium Crnojevicii was found near the planned quarry, so our further actions will be focused on preserving the habitat of this plant. We do not even want to assume what impact ecological black spots like quarries would have on the habitat of the same. Also, we should not forget that we live in an ecological state and that the Constitution guarantees us the right to a healthy environment, so we hope that decision-makers will know this themselves and not wait for locals to remind them of it," said Adžić.
In February 2022, at the proposal of the Ministry of Capital Investments (today's Ministry of Energy and Mining), the government adopted a concession act for detailed geological research and exploitation of mineral resources for Milošev krš, after which a tender was announced and a contract was signed with the Podgorica-based company "Inženjering put" in August of that year.
The Ministry of Energy told "Vijesti" that the concessionaire has not yet provided them with official notifications about abandoning this project, and that the concession agreement for the exploration and exploitation of technical and construction stone is still valid - unless "Inženjering put" submits a request for termination or other legal reasons for suspension arise.
"Without a positive assessment by the Environmental Protection Agency, exploitation is not allowed. Each project must meet all legal procedures and environmental protection standards. We appreciate the concerns of the local community and expect that the competent institutions, through a transparent procedure, will make appropriate decisions in accordance with the public interest," the Ministry said.
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