The government has given approval for the start of the development of part of the area within the boundaries of the Biogradska Gora National Park, although the business plan of the investors - the consortium of companies "Explorer" and "Uživaj u prirodi" is not in accordance with many regulations in the field of urban planning.
Investors also admit that the investment business plan ("Eco Lodge" settlement with 12 bungalows), which was accepted by Montenegrin institutions, does not comply with legal guidelines. They claim that, regardless of the accepted investment plan, they will build in accordance with the regulations.
The plan of temporary facilities for NP Biogradska gora, among other things, foresees that the ticket office has an area of no more than 10 square meters, while the investor's plan is four times larger (40 square meters).
These companies do not explain whether, if the business plan had followed all the rules, the planned investment would have really amounted to 783.632 euros, thus fulfilling the condition of the Government's public call that only those companies with a minimum investment of 750 can get the job.
At the session on Thursday, the government adopted information on the fulfillment of the conditions for the entry into force of the contract on leasing a part of real estate and buildings owned by the state and locations for setting up temporary buildings in that NP.
The contract between the Government, that is, the Ministry of Sustainable Development and Tourism (MORT) and the companies "Explorer" from Kolašin and "Uživaj u prirodi" from Cetinje, was concluded in mid-June last year. According to the contract, part of the real estate in Biogradska gora National Park was given to the consortium for management for a period of 10 years.
There are already 12 wooden bungalows on that protected area, near Lake Biograd.
The business plan of the "Explorer" and "Enjoy nature" consortium, among other things, foresees the installation of 12 "Eco Lodge" houses on the site, for which the author of the plan states in one part of the document that their capacity is "12 accommodation units", and in the other that "they will make 30 accommodation units".
Pavel Radulović's department did not answer the questions of "Vijesti" whether the investor is allowed to provide these capacities by demolishing the existing bungalows and put up new "Eco Lodge" facilities in their place, and they did not answer the questions about what exactly "adaptation" means in this case. how the work planned on the bungalows, ie "Eco Lodge" facilities, is described in the business plan. Ivan Kentera, the executive director of the Cetinje company "Uživaj u prirodi", claims that there will be no demolition and that they will actually decorate "only the interior of the existing houses".
"We read the laws and came to the conclusion that the adaptation and what is stipulated in the contract implies construction intervention within the existing bungalows, and only the inner part of the buildings," said Kentera to "Vijesta".
While Kentera claims that the works will be carried out only in the interior of the buildings, on the other hand, the author of the business plan predicted that all "Eco Lodge" buildings will be "made of cham wood, processed according to the most modern technology of building wooden constructions", and that the houses will have a total an area of 38 square meters and that, in addition to the apartment part, it will also contain a gallery, which the existing bungalows, whose area is 25 square meters - do not have.
The part of the business plan in which the warranty period of 20 years is given to "objects built in this way", "while the estimated duration is around 50 years", indicates that they will probably build, and not just adapt the interior of the existing houses.
Apart from the fact that the plan refers to the expansion of the capacity of the existing bungalows, and not only the adaptation of the interior, as claimed by the investor, the plan also violates the rule from the Plan of temporary facilities for the NP Biogradska gora for the period 2017-2019. on the surface of the ticket office. In that document, it is stated that the toll booths for entering the NP can have a maximum of 10 square meters at the base, while the investor, the consortium "Explorer" and "Uživaj u prirodi", states in the business plan that the information desk, i.e. the ticket office, will have an area of - 40 square meters.
"The business plan states up to 40 square meters, but in any case we will be guided by the Plan of temporary facilities, because it gives us guidelines for designing and working on the ground. If we were to do it differently, we would commit a violation, and then there would be a demolition, then we would throw money away, and then we go around in circles," says Kentera.
The same explanation applies to the prescribed and planned deviations of the square footage of the bungalow.
"We are guided by the plan of temporary facilities, which is a binding document for us, the inspection and the contractors," he claims. There is no explanation as to how the business plan, which does not comply with the regulations in several points, got the green light from the authorities at all.
"We will fit into the regulations, we have already adjusted the business strategy so that everything is according to the law and as the rules dictate," said Kentera.
Somewhere Durmitor, somewhere Biogradska gora
The business plan for NP Biogradska gora is similar to the plan that was made for NP Durmitor, where the work, according to the same public invitation, was awarded to the same consortium.
That deal, however, failed, after protests by citizens, who opposed the construction of bungalows on Black Lake, and after, at the suggestion of the Žabljak local council councilor, the MORT invalidated the Plan for temporary facilities in the part related to NP Durmitor.
The business plan for that NP was published several times on the site of the consulting firm "Fidelity", stating that it is full of errors and illogicalities, which were transferred to the business plan for NP Biogradska gora, in which even in at least one place, instead of the name of that park , it says - Durmitor.
In the plan for NP Biogradska gora, an error was transferred from part of the expenses of employees in the ticket office and in the "Eco Lodge" facilities, so for the off-season period, instead of seven months, as stated in the plan, the calculation was made for five. "Fidelity" reminds that the investor thus "(un)consciously lowers salary costs" and deprives the state of taxes and contributions.
It is additionally problematic that 12,9 percent of the project is financed from its own funds, namely working capital, while its own participation with the bank, that is, the Investment and Development Fund, must be at least 20 percent of the total investment.
In the plan for Biogradska gora, the part related to income, specifically from the sale of wine, which, as it says, the investor will purchase at 15 euros, and sell at a lower price of three euros, is a clear loss for the investor and for the state. - damage to the budget of around 38.000 euros.
The plan, as for Durmitor, foresees the acquisition of a total of 90 vessels - boats, kayaks and canoes, and in order for the investor to achieve the planned income from their release, instead of two vessels per hour, a larger number of them would have to be rented.
"I wish you were in my situation"
Although they were registered in the competition as a consortium, its members, the companies "Uživaj u prirodi" and "Explorer", according to the Government's decision, clearly divided the work, so the now failed work in NP Durmitor was to be managed by the company from Kolasin, while the work in NP Biogradska gora is managed by a company from Cetinje.
The founder of "Explorer" is Luka Bulatović from Kolašin DPS.
Bulatović, according to data from the website of the Central Register of Business Entities, also has a 50 percent stake in the company "Enjoy Nature", but for answers about the jobs in NP Biogradska gora, he referred the editorial office to Kentera and "Enjoy Nature", stating that this company which "manages the facilities at that location in accordance with the lease agreement". He is also convinced that MORT withdrew the Plan for temporary facilities only because of pressure from the public and the media.
"Something beautiful has been destroyed, I wish you were in my situation", said Bulatović, among other things, to a reporter from "Vijesti" in an interview on this topic.
Apart from Bulatović, the owner of "Enjoy nature" is also Branko Kažanegra, one of the founders of the company and the owner of 30 percent of "Adria destination", a company with which, according to the business plan, "Enjoy nature" has signed cooperation and sales contracts.
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