In the National Park "Prokletije" for the last two years, illegal construction has been evident in the entire area, and the number of illegal builders exceeds the data reported by the authorities, according to "Vijesti" sources.
Family, tourist and other facilities are most visible in the valley of Grebaja, Ropojana, Babino polje and partly in Bogićevica.
There are seven illegally built buildings in the Grebaja valley alone. two in Ropojana, and seven in Treskavac, which, according to the interlocutors, were illegally built by three persons.
In Babib Polje, "Vijesti" sources mention two builders who not only built before, but, as they said, are continuing to do so now.
At the ongoing session, the members of the Assembly discuss the Proposal for a decision on the adoption of a special purpose spatial plan for the National Park "Prokletije".
That document, as stated, "creates formal and legal prerequisites for the protection and arrangement and designed development and organization of the area of Prokletije in accordance with the basic development commitments, based on the principles of sustainable development".
The Minister of Sustainable Development and Tourism, Pavle Radulović, at the parliamentary committee, explaining the Plan Proposal, said that "the protection of the national park and its improvement is recognized as the key to development, and that the development of tourism is planned in accordance with environmental integration with smaller accommodation capacities".
Locals living in Prokletije, with whom "Vijesti" had contact, claim that this year there has been a sudden increase in illegal construction.
The inspection of the Ministry of Sustainable Development and Tourism (MORT) has received only five reports of illegal construction since the beginning of the year. Judging by the answers of the authorities, the public will be deprived of an answer to the question of whether and to what extent illegal construction in the youngest Montenegrin national park took place before.
The reason for this is the transfer of competence from the inspections of the Directorate for Inspection Affairs (UIP) to MORT. Minister Radulović's department told "Vijesta" that in MORT, "since the declaration of NP (2009), no special record has been kept of reports received from NP Prokletije, related to illegal construction and devastation of the area".
The National Park did not answer the question about reports of illegal construction since the declaration of Prokletije as a national park, but only quoted the statements from the Management Plan for the National Park "Prokletije" for the period 2016-2020. that "inherited problems in the management and use of natural resources are part of the limitations in the management of this protected natural area".
"During 2018, the Protection Service of the National Park "Prokletije" carried out five inspections, i.e. reports of illegal construction, in connection with which the documentation was submitted to the Urban Planning and Construction Inspectorate, which carried out inspection and processed these cases," said the NPCG.
They also add that the act declaring Prokletije a national park in 2009 "did not automatically eliminate all the challenges that were characteristic both for this and the wider area to which this protected natural area gravitates".
They also announced that an application for reporting illegal activities in all five national parks will be developed within the new NPCG web platform, which is under construction.
Among the names of illegal builders that are mentioned is Ismar Bašić, who was previously written about by the daily newspaper "Dan". Bašić, brother of the aunt of the current director of the NP, Admir Lalić, started building the building in Grebaje before his mandate, but, according to the "Vijesti" source, he continued construction even after the inspection, after the arrival of a family member at the head of the NP.
Bašić previously told "Dan" that he asked for permits for a log cabin in Grebaje and then confirmed that he had started preparatory work before receiving the papers.
"I don't have a permit for the works yet, but I'm waiting for it... I'm carrying out the works on a plot of about six ares that I registered in my name, owned by 1/1. I believe that I can work on my property, and since, as I said, I haven't received answers to the requests for a long time, I have started the preparatory work, because, as I see, everyone who builds above behaves in the same way", he said then.
The years eaten by (in)competence
"From 01.01.2018 to date, the urban planning and construction inspection of the ministry has received five reports of illegal construction on the site in question, two of which have been processed, and the others will be subject to control in the shortest period of time, considering that they arrived recently, when inspection control of all national parks is planned ", it is stated in the answers of Bisera Alihodžić, manager of the Urban Planning and Construction Inspection for the northern region.
The response to "News" from MORT was preceded by a response from the UIP, in which the editors were informed that questions on the topic of illegal construction in the area of NP "Prokletije" from its announcement until today, due to the transfer of jurisdiction, were forwarded to MORT. And the Ministry, according to the Decree on Amendments to the Decree on the Organization and Mode of Operation of the State Administration from October last year, took over inspectors and documentation from the UIP...
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