Even after two years, there is no sign of the start of work on the rehabilitation of the pillar of the state-owned cable car "K7" on Bjelasica, without which practically half of the "Kolašin 1600" ski resort is out of function.
The third tender of the state-owned company Ski Resorts of Montenegro (SCG) for the rehabilitation of the pillar and soil has also been annulled, as all three bidders were excluded from the public procurement procedure. Although the decision to annul has been made, the procedure is still formally ongoing, meaning a new tender cannot be announced, as an appeal has been received from one of the bidders in the meantime.
To carry out work on a pillar, the foundation of which was damaged during construction work on the company's plots Zoran Ćoć Bećirović In the spring of 2024, two tenders were previously announced, but there were no bidders. The state-owned company SCG was also looking for contractors on November 19 last year, when it first announced a tender for urgent rehabilitation and stabilization of the soil near the cable car pole, and then again on December 25.
Previously, Bećirović's company, as previously announced, had unsuccessfully sought a contractor...
The nine million euro cable car has not been operational for the past two years, which is why about ten kilometers of trails at the state ski resort have not been operational. For the same reason, the state and Bećirović ski resorts, "Kolašin 1450", have not been connected...
In the last tender for the execution of the works, the companies "Novi Uzor" and "M Solutions" applied, and a joint offer was also received from the companies "Briv Construction" and "Rovokop".
The Commission excluded them for various reasons, namely due to failure to meet the conditions stipulated in the public procurement procedure. The bidders, as it is written, did not submit the requested documentation within the deadline to prove that the conditions for participation in the procedure were met, including evidence of settled tax liabilities, as well as certificates that the business entity and executive director have not been convicted by a final judgment.
The offers from these companies, when it comes to the deadline for completing the work, were from 15 to 30 days.
According to the tender, around the pole number 4 of the cable car, it is necessary to carry out work on the construction of a reinforced concrete retaining wall with the necessary formwork and drainage elements, as well as the installation of reinforcement to strengthen the structure. The installation of steel anchors and grouting is also planned to stabilize the wall and the foundation soil around the pole. On the slopes, it is planned to install a protective net with anchors and accompanying equipment, with the aim of protecting against landslides and stabilizing the terrain...
Given that Bećirović failed to repair the pole by the beginning of the last winter season, the Government decided in November last year to react and invest 150.000 euros in repairing the cable car.
At the end of November last year, the private company "Ski-resort Kolašin 1450" announced that they had invested nearly 400.000 euros in the rehabilitation of the cable car tower, and accused Serbia and Montenegro of lack of cooperation, negative campaigning and avoiding presenting the facts regarding the rehabilitation to the public. They previously claimed that the "K7" cable car was installed outside the planning document, and that they were not to blame for the damage to the tower.
The Board of Directors (BOD) of SCG responded that these allegations were false. They also stated that a private individual had issued a tender for the job, but that the contractor had not been selected, so they suspected their intentions. They claim that they had informed the Ministry of Tourism about this, requested that the state get involved and take over solving the problem, and so they issued the tender themselves.
The capacity of the state-owned six-seater ski lift is 2.600 skiers per hour and began operating in February 2022. However, during work on the neighboring private plots of the "Kolašin 1450" Ski Center, a landslide occurred and pillar number 4 was destabilized, so the ski lift was not in operation for two winter seasons.
The inspection banned work due to endangering the cable car.
In mid-June 2024, as they told "Vijesti" at the time, the Urban Planning and Construction Inspection banned preparatory work for the construction of villas at the Kolašin 1450 site because they endangered the pillar of the state-owned cable car "K7". The inspection conducted an inspection on June 10 and ordered the investor building the villas to "ensure the safety and stability of the pillar within twelve days".
The urban planning and construction inspector determined that the work carried out jeopardized the safety of the adjacent pole of the “K7” cable car and ordered a ban on further construction work, as well as to ensure the safety and stability of the adjacent pole of the cable car within twelve days. As they claimed at the time, the private company was supposed to “carry out pile driving and protection of the pole as part of the emergency works, according to the previously developed main project”.
After that, rehabilitation measures were initiated and, allegedly, completed. A private investor then, according to available information, repaired the pillar and built a retaining wall.
However, a few months later, a court expert and appraiser, an engineer Goran Račić in the study, he stated that the pillar was not safe for use without adequate measures to rehabilitate the surrounding terrain. He stated that the pillar “experienced deformations that exceed the permitted values prescribed by the regulations, in the event that the cable car is not in operation”. According to what he found on the ground, Račić stated in the study that in the immediate vicinity of the pillar there are accommodation facilities with accompanying roads, as well as roads on the upper and lower sides. He also concluded that “the remedial measures taken have not yielded results in terms of stabilizing the movement of the aforementioned pillar, in the sense that the lower parts of the walls have cracked in the horizontal and diagonal directions, with visible cracks ranging from 1,5 to 3,5 centimeters wide”...
The Board of Directors of SCG announced last year that they only learned about the problems with the "K7" cable car on October 3, 2024. After that, a five-member commission was allegedly formed with the task of investigating all problems with pillar number 4 and other issues related to the cable car.
They also announced "the initiation of proceedings to determine responsibility for the work that led to damage to infrastructure owned by Serbia and Montenegro and to demand compensation for costs, including any lost profits if the cable car is not in operation during the winter tourist season."
Whether this procedure has been initiated and, if so, what its outcome is, has not been announced until yesterday.
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