Instead of showing determination and putting an end to the devastation of the Morača riverbed, some members of the Operational Team for the fight against illegal exploitation of gravel make a compromise with the owners of the companies whose facilities they are obliged to remove from state property.
From the transcript conducted on the operative team's Viber group, a part of which was also submitted to "Vijesti", it can be seen that the head of that team is leading the charge. Stevan Gajević and Director of the Administration for Property and Cadastre Koča Đurišić.
Due to such a relationship, the Deputy Protector of Property and Legal Interests of Montenegro left the Operational Team yesterday Marija Božović.
Controversy broke out after the director of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Milan Gazdić asked why the demolition of the concrete base of the company "Cijevna komerc" was not continued yesterday.
To Gazdić's question, Gajević answered with a question - why the director of the EPA is not at work, which Gazdić denied.
The removal of the concrete production plant began on January 20, after the Ministry of Ecology, Spatial Planning and Urbanism issued a decision on the removal of the 315 square meter facility and the engineering facility of the "Cijevna komerc" company.
On the first day, however, a small part of the work was completed, after which the construction machines withdrew, and that very soon after the press teams left the field.
On that day, the state was represented on the field only by the director of the Management Board of the Regional Waterworks Zoran Lakušić, the police who provided assistance, members of the Protection and Rescue Service and the emergency medical aid teams who were on standby.
The head of the Operations team did not appear on the field.
According to the unofficial information of "Vijesti", individuals from the Operative team agreed with the owner of the company "Cijevna komerc" Danilo Petrović to remove their own machines and plants from state property and the location for which their concession expired two years ago.
On Friday, after the inspectors began dismantling, Petrović told reporters that in 2020 they received a decision to ban the exploitation of sand and gravel from the Morača river bed and that they stopped their activities then.
He also said that they expected the state to offer them an alternative, that is, to issue a concession for a quarry, for a location where such activity is planned, but that they were not answered.
Petrović also claimed that he spoke with the president of the municipality of Zeta, who told him that he did not have the authority to issue a concession to them until July, but that he had promised to do so, and that the capital replied that they had to call for a tender.
He claims that the state made a mistake in the sequence of steps and that, before introducing a moratorium on the exploitation of gravel from the Morača River, it had to offer an alternative - hills, of which we have "as many as you want".
Petrović emphasized that he will continue to ask to be offered an alternative "for the sake of the workers".
"We will ask the Prime Minister and all competent institutions to allow these people to work as soon as possible. I have 100 employees, they will certainly go before the government themselves. I welcome what they have done for the workers of Željezara, for any company that is in trouble, for 'Plantaže'... but why are they holding us back now", Petrović asked.
Similar views could be read yesterday in the official group of the Operational Team, in which there are representatives of the state, and not of private companies that have been exploiting gravel for years.
"There are enough stones"
"Both 'Montenegro petrol' and 'Cijevna komerc' asked to lease plots of land or a quarry outside the river bed. These two companies have 240 workers, for the sake of comparison, Željezara Nikšić has the same number, those who protested in front of the Government and on the roof of the building. Over 90 percent of employees are from the municipality of Zeta. My position is that due to the social and all other aspects of the workers, it should be possible for them to lease plots outside the river beds, to be introduced in all legal processes, to pay concessions and for the workers to stay. I personally believe that the state should have zero tolerance when it comes to the exploitation of gravel from riverbeds, but that everyone should be granted quarry concessions. We have enough stones to concrete Europe," the director of the Property and Cadastre Administration wrote in that group.
Gajević replied that the Ministry of Agriculture, in principle, agrees with the Administration's position.
"It remains for us to see the locations for quarry concessions given by the Ministry of Capital Investments, and I believe that they will also be on this line," stated the head of the Operational Team for the fight against illegal exploitation of gravel.
The deputy protector of state interests answered them that you cannot compare Željezara and "companies" that are in the zone of criminal responsibility and that have caused enormous damage to the state.
"I do not support the position of negotiations and searching for a location. On Monday I will send a letter that I can no longer be a member of the Operations Team. Negotiating and agreeing with those who committed such atrocities I cannot support and I do not want to participate in it. You can count on me from today that I am no longer a member of the Operational Team," wrote Božović.
Gajević told her that she really "moved" him and that he would inform the protector of property and legal relations about her attitude.
She was supported by Gazdić, who asked her to think again, stressing that she makes a huge contribution to the team.
They are investigating the "whistleblower", environmentalists are looking for replacements
According to the knowledge of "Vijesti", individuals from the Operational Team were yesterday trying to find out who sent the correspondence from the group to the media, in order to file criminal charges against the whistleblower.
Environmental activist and journalist Vuk Vujisić, as well as numerous eco-activists, yesterday demanded the immediate dismissal of the head of the Operational Team and the Director of the Administration for Property and Cadastre.
"As long as the situation is like this, there is nothing more to talk about, that this Operational Team is leading a fight against exploiters and companies whose owners and how they have money, and the whole of Montenegro knows that. This is the same as not closing the chain of cigarette smuggling, because the smugglers and drivers will lose their jobs. Why do the civil servants we pay do not defend the public interest and state property but negotiate with usurpers and devastators and make compromises".
Bonus video:
