Locals surprised: Pljevlja gets another polluter

The Environmental Protection Agency gave consent to the Crnagoraput company for the Elaboration of the environmental impact assessment of the asphalt base that would be built in the Potrlica settlement of Pljevlja, above the mine of the same name Rudnik Uglja, and only a few kilometers from the city center.

This created the conditions for that company to build a temporary asphalt base, and the most polluted city in the country gets another polluter.

The Agency clarified that it was determined that the Elaborate was prepared in accordance with the law and that it contains defined measures for preventing, reducing or eliminating harmful effects on the environment.

The director of the Agency, Milan Gazdić, told "Vijesta" that the consent was given by the Commission, which was formed in January 2021, before he became the head of that institution.

"The opinion of the Commission was that at this moment it is best to give permission for the installation of a temporary asphalt base that would be closed within 30 days from the end of the works on the Gradac-Pljevlja-Mihajlovica road," Gazdić said.

He believes that the asphalt base will not work for more than a year.

The Agency has ordered measures that the company Crnagoraput must comply with, knowing the environmental situation in Pljevlja. We will try to make the environmental inspection a regular guest in Pljevlja and to control the operation of the plant," Gazdić said.

He said that one of the reasons why the Commission decided to give its consent is that the construction work on this road is taking a long time and they want it to be finished as soon as possible, because there is a huge amount of pollution from the dust that rises during the construction work.

When asked whether another location could have been chosen, Gazdić said that the Commission took care to choose an already devastated area, such as the location in Potrlica.

The Agency gave its consent, although earlier the Ministry of Ecology, Spatial Planning and Urbanism announced that the construction of an asphalt base in Potrlica has no legal basis because that location does not exist in the plan of temporary facilities of the Municipality.

"The asphalt base, whose construction is planned at a location about three kilometers as the crow flies from the city center, in the Potrlica settlement, primarily does not exist in the Plan of Temporary Facilities of Pljevlja, and therefore there is no legal basis for it to be built at the mentioned location. Another problem of asphalt base construction is ecological. The position of the Ministry of Ecology, Spatial Planning and Urbanism is close to the demands of the locals. The elaboration of the study on environmental impact assessment, which is being carried out by the Environmental Protection Agency, is underway, and we should see what the public hearing will show," the Ministry announced at the time.

The Ministry points out that the asphalt base, which should be built for the reconstruction of the road Gradac-Pljevlja-Mihajlovica, to the border with Serbia, is necessary, but "it is also necessary to consider alternative locations where this asphalt base could be placed ".

"The location for the construction of the asphalt base in Pljevlje must be carefully determined in accordance with the need to cause the least possible damage to the health of citizens and the environment," said the Ministry.

The company "Crnagoraput" intends to build a temporary asphalt base in Pljevlja, at a location three kilometers away from the city center as the crow flies for the reconstruction of the road Gradac-Pljevlja-Mihajlovica, to the border with Serbia.

The location is located above the Potrlica pit of the coal mine, on its eastern side, and directly next to the location where the equipment of the coal mine is located, i.e. the former conveyor belt.

The location, where the plant will be installed, is the property of the coal mine, with which the land lease agreement was signed.

Residents of the Potrlica settlement in Pljevlja called on the Government of Montenegro, the Ministry of Ecology, Spatial Planning and Urbanism and the Environmental Protection Agency to prohibit the construction of a temporary asphalt base near their houses.

"The most dangerous possible location was chosen for this ecologically disastrous project. According to the report, it is about 500 meters as the crow flies from the first houses, and about three kilometers from the city center. How this location is dangerously close to people is best shown by the fact that the locations of asphalt bases, which are currently operating in our country, are five to nine kilometers away from the nearest settlement or city. In the settlement of Potrlica, there are over a hundred houses with almost 500 inhabitants, of which a significant number are children," says Đurović.

For him, it is incomprehensible that the "decade-long polluter of the environment Pljevlja Coal Mine" brings another polluter to its land based on a lease agreement.

Đurović called on the authorities in the Municipality of Pljevlja to get actively involved in solving this problem.

The locals, taken aback, thought that it had been abandoned, and would not allow construction

Mile Đurović, a resident of Potrlica, said that the residents of this settlement were taken aback and could not believe that the Agency had given approval despite the negative opinion of the Ministry of Ecology. He says that they are particularly surprised by the Agency's decision because it is headed by Pljevljak, who knows very well how polluted Pljevlja is and how much the asphalt base will pollute the air.

"We thought that it was the end of the story and that the construction of an asphalt base near our houses had been abandoned. We have nothing against the asphalt base, but let them install it in another location. We are normally exposed to a lot of dust from the mining pit, a lot of noise, and now our lungs need to be additionally asphalted. What is being done is ecological genocide against us and the inhabitants of Pljevlja. We will not allow a plant to be built here," said Đurović.

He said that the local community will ask the management of the Coal Mine to cancel the lease agreement for their land that was signed by the company's previous management.

"The locals are determined and will not allow an asphalt base to be built in this place. We call on all the citizens of Pljevlja to rebel against the construction of the asphalt base, because it will not only poison the residents of Potrlica, but also the entire city," said Đurović.