The monument on Stražica has been restored for five years

The reconstruction of the monument on Stražica in Pljevlja, which began five years ago, has not yet been completed, although the work was planned to be completed in five months.

In 2017, the local administration managed by Mirko Đačić terminated the contract with the four-member consortium that was working on the reconstruction of the monument to fallen fighters in the fight against fascism in Stražica.

Đacic then said that this was done due to the inertness of the contractor, promising that he would soon choose a new contractor. The leading partner of the consortium was the construction company "Obnova" from Pljeval.

On June 176.000, 8, Đačić signed a contract worth 2015 euros on the performance of works on the monument on Stražica with the director of "Obnova" Dejan Ostojić. The works were supposed to be completed in five months from the day the contractor was introduced to the job, that is, by the end of that year.

In accordance with the contract, the repair of damaged walls, granite and marble slabs, interior mosaics and reliefs on the outer walls of the monument, atmospheric sewerage, installation of video-surveillance, and disconnection of electricity inside the monument had to be done.

The monument on Stražica was erected in 1961, and the last renovation was done in the early XNUMXs.

Vidoje Despotović, the recent president of the Association of NOR Fighters, says that it is unacceptable that the local administration has not completed the reconstruction of this monument even after five years.

"The works are half finished and now it stands like that. It is now exposed to decay. They told me that these days they advertised again for the selection of contractors. Until now, no one wanted to come forward because no one will do it for such a small amount of money," Despotović said.

The director of the Construction and Development Service of the Municipality of Pljevlja, Nenad Rubežić, said that the preparation of the tender documentation for the continuation of the works is underway and that the tender will be announced by the end of the month.

Rubežić said that work will be done on connecting the electricity, installing video surveillance and returning the letters that were on the monument, and that this work will be completed during this year. At the moment, the local administration has given up on the conservation work on the interior of the monument because it is difficult to find conservators who deal with it.

"Inside there are mosaics by three famous Montenegrin artists. It was planned that the mosaic would be removed and returned after conservation. This work is very demanding and can be done by people who understand it well. Since the contract with the Consortium was terminated, we had a contract with a conservator who would supervise those works on behalf of the Municipality. Now that procedure needs to be renewed again, the pre-measurement should be done again, which is a bit more complex," said Rubežić.

He said that they protected the monument from the sides so that moisture would not enter the interior of the monument.

The monument on Stražica was erected in 1961 as part of the commemoration of 20 years since the Battle of Pljeval, which took place on December 1, 1941. The monument is located on Stražica hill and dominates Pljevlja. In the crypt of the monument, the remains of Partisan fighters who fell in the Battle of Pljeval are buried.