In previous decades, the electric power industry did not devote full attention to returning what it took from nature in the area of Piva. We have a contract from 2010 that has not been fulfilled in full capacity. In the last two years, we started that wheel, we completed the first phase of the ring road, and 4,5 million euros are foreseen in this year's business plan. We will continue to give back and it is our duty.
This is what the executive director of the Electric Power Company of Montenegro (EPCG) said. Nikola Rovčanin, at the end of March during the celebration of the 47th anniversary of the "Piva" Hydroelectric Power Plant (HE).
His statement pleased the local government in Plužine, but also all the residents of Pivlja, because in that municipality they have been waiting for decades for EPCG to pay them back for the sinking of the old municipal center.
And director of HPP "Piva" Nikola Dakovic he pointed out that EPCG "remained an eternal debtor to the municipality of Plužine and its citizens".
It's time, Pivljani say, for that debt to finally be returned. They have been waiting since 1975.
President of the Municipality Slobodan Delic, in an interview with "Vijesti", points out that it would be unacceptable for HPP "Piva" to meet its jubilee 50th birthday with unrealized obligations that EPCG has towards the citizens and the municipality of Plužine. He reminded that in 1981 the obligations that Elektroprivreda accepted to realize and do in the municipality of Plužine were defined, but that the agreement was very poorly respected and that it was renewed in 2010, and a contract was signed on the realization of the remaining obligations.
"The obligations defined in the contract relate to the construction of a circular road, a collector for wastewater treatment, the arrangement of the area in the settlement according to the Detailed Urban Plan (DUP), partial reconstruction and asphalting of the road to the village of Brljeva, rehabilitation of the pier, arrangement of the entrance to the settlement of Plužine, rehabilitation landslides caused as a result of the oscillations of Lake Piva and the purchase of a crushing plant", reminded Delić of EPCG's obligations.
As he said, from the obligations defined in the contract, the road to Brljevo was asphalted, the first phase of the city road, the city amphitheater, the entrance to the Plužine settlement, the pier was repaired and the landslides caused by the oscillation of the lake were partially repaired.
"Unfortunately, the largest part of the activities, I would say the most important ones, has not been done, and it concerns the second phase of the road, the collector for wastewater treatment and the arrangement of the settlement according to the DUP. The entire development of the municipal center is trapped and is not moving at the same pace as it should be, precisely because of the non-fulfillment of the relevant obligations," said Delić.
According to him, they received assurances from the management of EPCG that they would hold a meeting very soon to discuss unrealized obligations, but apart from informal talks, this has not happened yet.
"I don't want to believe that this is a deliberate delay in holding the meeting, but in one part I accept the position that dynamic socio-political activities partly hindered the management of EPCG from starting a conversation with us. The public procurement plan, which Elektroprivreda has predicted in the amount of seven million euros without VAT for 2023, is intended to resolve obligations towards the municipality of Plužine. That amount corresponds to the projected amount for the realization of the II phase of the city road," said the President of the Municipality of Plužine.
The project for the second phase of the road has been completed and revised, and Delić hopes that the tender procedure will be launched soon, and that after the selection of the contractor, the implementation of the mentioned project will begin. He also believes that by the end of the year, he will receive complete project documentation for the remaining obligations, and that during the next year he will begin their final implementation.
"Anything contrary to that will be an indication to us that the attitude of Elektroprivreda towards the municipality of Plužine has not changed and that they have continued the continuity of the previous 12 years of marginalization of both the Municipality and the needs of its population. That would be a gross violation of the signed agreements, but also a clear, incorrect attitude of EPCG towards Piva. The social responsibility of a Montenegrin giant, which daily brags about earnings and realized profits, would be questionable or non-existent, and the construction of any future cooperation in significant projects for EPCG with the municipality of Plužine would be almost impossible," said Delić.
Employ more Pivlians in HPP "Piva"
In previous years, the local administration has often emphasized that it hopes that the percentage of employees from the territory of the municipality of Plužine in HPP "Piva" will be higher.
"Unfortunately, our ability to influence this is only in the form of an appeal, and ultimately such decisions are made by the management of Elektroprivreda. I am sure that there is enough workforce in Plužine with the necessary qualifications to cover potential jobs in the HPP 'Piva' facility itself," Delić said.
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