Some of the candidates for mayor of Podgorica claim that if they come to power, they will build a waste water treatment plant, which they have been waiting for for years, while some of them say that this issue must be resolved in agreement with the residents of Botun and the leaders of Zeta, as well as that municipality. even the capital would not be damaged, and some if the decision had to be exclusively "based on the profession".
However, in their answers to the "News", they did not present a concrete and detailed plan for solving that problem, as well as precise deadlines in which to end it.
The story of the construction of a plant with an associated collector network has been current for decades. The contract was signed two years ago, and the deadlines for the start of the works have been pushed back several times. The construction of the plant is planned at a location in the industrial zone of the Podgorica Aluminum Plant (Botun and Dajbabe cadastral municipalities), which is owned by the Capital City.
The former Podgorica administration, led by the Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS), signed a contract for the design and construction of the plant in June 2022, when it was announced that work would start in early 2023. That deadline was missed because the main project of the plant was not completed, and then new deadlines were given - the first quarter of this year, then September. The latest announcement is that the works will start next month.
The former government said that building a wastewater treatment system is the most important infrastructure project in the capital's history, and that its construction will solve a major environmental problem and preserve the natural wealth of the rivers. They reminded that the city is "served" by an old facility with a capacity of 55 thousand connections - which is far less than what Podgorica needs. The new collector would have the capacity to purify the wastewater of 275 thousand inhabitants.
Local residents of Botun have repeatedly protested the announced construction of a collector in their settlement, judging that the facility could further endanger the environment.
The elections in Podgorica are scheduled for September 29.
"Vijesti" asked all newspaper holders (13 of them) how, in what period and with how much money they plan to solve the problem regarding the construction of the collector, and eight of them answered - Saša Mujović (Movement Europe now-Democrats), Jelena Borovinić Bojović ("For the future of Podgorica"), Nermin Abdić (DPS), Boris Mugoša (European Union), Srdjan Peric (Reversal), Ilija Mugoš (Party of European Progress), Vuk Kadic (Movement Forward) i Stanko Đuričić (Montenegro civil action).
Saša Mujović told "Vijesta" that the construction of the collector is one of the most important projects in Montenegro and that it solves the burning environmental problem of a large number of residents of the capital. Recalling that in previous years several preparatory activities were carried out in connection with the project, he stated that he believes that the date of the start of construction is increasingly certain.
"Keeping in mind the importance of the project, I expect the active participation and support of the Government in creating the necessary preconditions for the start of the works. Of course, I want to hear the locals of Botun and talk to them. There is no ignoring their will. The financial support is based on the WBIF grant in the amount of 35 million euros and the credit arrangement with KfW Bank in the same amount," he said.
Jelena Borovinić Bojović announces that the issue of wastewater treatment will be resolved on the route between the Capital City and Zeta Municipality, and this, she says, is in the interest of the residents of both municipalities.
"As the headquarters of the future government, we will use the good relations with the management of the municipality of Zeta, and our solutions will have the result that no one feels like a loser, neither Podgorica nor Zeta, and that there are no injured parties in this process. At the base of our political culture and program for Podgorica is an agreement with the citizens," she said.
Stating that the former administration led by the DPS from 2018 to 2022 ordered to "finish a large part of the work" related to the collector (primary pipeline, pedestrian pipeline bridge, expansion of the secondary sewerage network, signing the contract with the contractor...), Nermin Abdić claims that, if he comes to power, his party will complete the preliminary and main project and build a wastewater treatment plant, as well as expand the sewerage network for the settlements of Tološe, Vraniće, Donja and Gornja Gorica.
"We are confident that we will complete this historically important project for the citizens of Podgorica in the next four-year mandate. I remind you, the value of the project is 47,3 million euros. At the very beginning of the implementation of the project, the city received a grant of 10 million euros from the European Commission, and then in 2021 an additional grant of 23 million through the Western Balkan Investment Framework," said the holder of the DPS list.
Boris Mugoša says that their plan in the event of taking over the government will be to immediately activate and speed up the completion of the construction of the collector, and that any decision in this regard "will be exclusively based on expertise". This, according to him, will ensure that wastewater is no longer a source of pollution, but that it is efficiently purified.
"Also, we will improve the sewage network with a special focus on suburban settlements, which will enable those areas to be included in a modern wastewater system. This project will turn Podgorica into an example of an ecologically sustainable city, where the preservation of natural resources and the health of citizens will come first," he notes.
Srđan Perić says that without a detailed analysis and revision of what was done by the outgoing and previous government, it is difficult to give precise figures on how much money is needed to implement the collector project, "while being at least serious". He states that he points this out for the following reason:
"The documentation was not available to the public even if they were interested, different figures and the scope of aid from the EU were mentioned. The media was previously given a framework of around 50 million euros, which can be largely provided from donor lines, if the current government has not delayed the matter with its incompetence. The EU support of about 33 million euros was mentioned earlier. The construction deadline of 36 months is quite realistic if the local government knows how to lead and supervise the project...", he assesses.
Perić states that the problem has been moved to the political level and that, instead of dialogue with citizens, which would promote the principle of asking those in relation to whom you will make decisions, in this case the Podgorica, Zeta and state authorities are actually "producing a political theater in which everyone it proves something, and all together to the detriment of the citizens".
"There is no harsher example of anti-politics in Podgorica than what is happening with the collector. Before everything is said - first the conversation. There is no ideal agreement, but it is possible to find an optimal one", states one of the founders of Preokret.
Ilija Mugoša states that it is necessary to take responsibility and start the collector project from a standstill, and not "bury your head in the sand before the problem and risk the reputation of the state and the loss of that money".
"The Party of European Progress has a concrete solution to this problem, for which the authorities of the capital city of Podgorica are not responsible, because this problem does not concern only Podgorica, but the construction of the plant has regional significance, due to the pollution of Lake Skadar, the protection of the Bolje sestra water source," he says.
Vuk Kadić, in a unique answer to the questions of "Vijesti" about several problems in Podgorica, including the issue of collectors, said that his list would finance the implementation of projects through the allocation of larger funds in the budget, but also through certain models of cooperation with international financial institutions, organizations and funds available for financing this type of project.
He said that the determination of the location for the realization of the projects, the technical and technological solution of how they will be realized and the problems eliminated, the dynamics of the works, i.e. the period in which the facilities will be put into use, as well as the financial analysis, will be precisely defined prices and therefore the value of the investment - to be defined through technical documentation for the preparation of which experts will be hired in accordance with domestic and international regulations.
He announced that he will initiate the preparation of technical documentation for the mentioned projects, all in accordance with the Law on Planning and Construction of Buildings, special regulations, rules of the profession and urban planning and technical conditions.
"Also, as we have already pointed out, we intend to implement projects from the 'Green Cities' program with sources of funding from international financial institutions, which deal with solving problems related to water supply and wastewater treatment, waste disposal, traffic and general issues which improve the lives of citizens and which are of vital importance for the functional and sustainable development of Podgorica", said Kadić.
Stanko Đuričić states that "a prerequisite of all preconditions" for solving the issue of collectors is a political consensus between Zeta and Podgorica.
"First of all, it is necessary for everyone to agree that it is not in the public interest to have the poisoned pearl of Podgorica, the river Morača... It is necessary that all citizens, especially the residents of Botun, be informed about the benefits that this ecological project will bring them... Let's go first, to relocate the tailings pond as a cancer wound for the citizens of Botun, Zeta and ecological Montenegro, and then to realize the project of building a collector with all ecological standards and to be able to use the water from Morača as in its upper flows", he said, adding that the deadline for construction "in our hands", and that the project can be realized in a relatively short period.
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