MPs and councilors of the Democratic People's Party (DNP), led by Milan Knežević, have voted three times in the past seven months to build a wastewater treatment plant near the village of Botun.
On June 12, members of the Government from that party did not vote for the proposal for the new Spatial Plan of Montenegro, which envisages the construction of a facility at this location.
The Assembly adopted the same Spatial Plan on June 26 with 42 votes in favor, while the minimum required majority was 41. Three MPs from Milan Knežević's party voted for this Plan - Jelena Kljajević, Dragan Bojović and Vladislav Bojović, while Milan Knežević was not in the hall.
It was these three MPs who enabled the majority to vote for this Plan and thus enable the completion of the procedures for the documentation required for the construction of the treatment plant near Botun.
Based on that plan, the Government, with the consent of one minister from Knežević's party, while another did not vote, adopted the Spatial and Urban Plan of the Capital City, which encompasses the entire area of the former municipality of Podgorica and provides in detail for the construction of a facility at this location near Botun.
Officials from Knežević's party supported its construction for the third time, when on December 24 they voted for the Capital City Budget, which envisages allocating 17 million euros for the construction of the facility near Botun in 2026.
The budget was adopted with 31 votes, while the minimum majority was 30 votes.
It was the councilor from Knežević's party who enabled the adoption of the budget and the provision of money for the construction of this facility.
In this way, Milan Knežević's party made the key and most important contribution to the start of construction of this facility, which is important for environmental preservation and reducing pollution of the Morača River and Lake Skadar, yesterday.
Political infighting within the ruling majority, 54 detained people, and the entry of construction machinery onto a plot of land in Botun - these are the epilogues of an almost two-month-long protest by Zeta residents against the construction of a wastewater treatment plant.
While the police were "clearing" the area to enable the start of construction in that area, DNP MP Milan Knežević announced his departure from the "bloody government", and the Speaker of the State Parliament Andrija Mandić (Nova) stated that yesterday's action against the people of Botunja had endangered peace in Montenegro.
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Note: The original version of the text incorrectly stated that DNP officials voted four times in favor of building a wastewater treatment plant near Botun. We apologize to our readers.
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