The Minister of Sustainable Development and Tourism, Pavle Radulović, even after a few days of the publication of the report of the UNESCO mission, which deals with the issue of highway construction in the Tara river bed, did not find it necessary to react and present to the public his view of the defeating evaluations from the report, MANS announced.
"Part of the answer to the question "Where is Pavle Radulović?" may lie in the fact that the UNESCO report denies several of his statements regarding the situation on the Tara River. We remind you that the conclusion of the mission that visited Montenegro at the end of last year and visited construction site of the highway near Mateševo is that the construction of bridges over the Tara and the exploitation and disposal of gravel and sand seriously devastated the bed of the Tara, in this part protected by the "Man and Biosphere" program," says the MANS announcement.
Minister Radulović claimed on several occasions that nothing unusual is happening on Tara, that works are being carried out in the "transition zone of the river" and that the report of the UNESCO mission will be in order.
"Thus, speaking at a press conference in November last year, he said that he spoke with the mission participants and "saw their reaction on the spot", insinuating that it was positive. However, the mission report states that during the tour of the Tara River near the construction of the highway, it is evident that the area is littered with garbage and construction materials, even outside the construction site. On the other hand, he claimed that Tara is not devastated and that the dumping of massive waste and encroachment of construction machinery into the river bed has no effect on the downstream condition of Tara. UNESCO denied that minister's statement as well, stating that an assessment must be made as a matter of urgency as to whether the gravel extraction and waste disposal has an impact on the river downstream. Additionally, Radulović continuously claimed that the entire devastated area around the Tara River will be rehabilitated after the completion of the construction of the highway. However, UNESCO states in its report that it is clear that some consequences of the works will be visible even after the completion of the construction," they state from MANS.
They note that UNESCO observes that the monitoring of the environmental impact assessment by the competent authorities is not adequate, and that the results of the monitoring are not communicated to the contractor and the supervision of the works within a reasonable time - thereby missing the opportunity to avoid the negative impact of the construction of the highway.
"Finally, Radulović stated in one of his speeches that the members of the mission praised the attitude of the authorities towards the downstream part of the river, which is under double international protection. However, the report published a few days ago contains clear recommendations on the necessity of making an assessment of the impact of the works on the downstream part of the river , as well as the urgent adoption of a plan that will mitigate all negative impacts. The Montenegrin public deserves answers from Minister Radulović, who we remind him on this occasion that he is paid by the citizens to take care of environmental protection with his department. UNESCO stated everything that they non-governmental organizations have been warning for months that the works on the construction of the highway caused the devastation of the banks and bed of the Tara River. During all this time, Minister Radulović indignantly refused to take any responsibility, at the same time accusing the media and the NGO sector of "raising dust" due to the arrival of the mission "Now, when it is clear who was right, the public rightly expects the responsibility of Minister Radulović," it concludes.
Bonus video:
