Executive director of the Podgorica company "Roads" Rados Zecevic he himself paid the transportation costs for the citizens who, due to the decision that the city buses would not run that day, on May 5, Easter, used a taxi.
How much "lighter" Zečević's pocket is due to the decision to park the buses that day is unknown, because "Putevo" did not answer the councilor. Miloš Mašković (SD), but not to the editorial office.
Mašković submitted the questions to the Assembly Service of the Capital City of Podgorica on May 15. Two weeks before that, "Vijesti" published Zečević's statement that "Roads" will compensate citizens who will use taxi transport, because city buses will not run due to Easter.
"The citizens' funds were refunded by the executive director of 'Puteva' doo, B.Sc. lawyer Radoš Zečević. 'Roads' doo did not allocate funds for that purpose, because the director decided that he himself would refund the costs to citizens who come with taxi transport invoices. "Roads" doo did not allocate funds for that purpose", it is written in the answer that Zečević submitted to Mašković's inquiry.
The answer did not specify the amount involved and how many citizens requested and received reimbursement for transportation costs. It was not specified how citizens approached Zečević and "Putevi" in order to exercise their right to a refund.
In addition to others, "Vijesti" sent those questions to the Capital City, the Secretariat for Traffic and "Roads" on May 7.
They submitted the answer only from the Secretariat for Transport, but not in the part that refers to the reimbursement of costs due to the decision that the scheduled transport does not operate on the day of a religious holiday.
The executive director of "Roads" previously told "Vijesta" that they made such a decision because two holidays, May Day and religious holidays, overlap, and that they "calculated... that there is a minimal need for regular buses".
Earlier, he also said that such a decision was made on the basis of oral consultation with the authorities from the Secretariat for Transport.
"We consulted verbally with the secretary of transport (Ninoslav Kaluđerović, prim. nov), which accepted these requests of ours. Of course, he did not confirm in writing, but we roughly agreed that this is it," Zečević told "Vijesta" at the end of April.
After that, Kaluđerović said that the "Secretariat for Transport carries out administrative supervision over the company 'Roads' in accordance with the Law and the Statute of the Municipality of Podgorica", and that "all decisions within the scope of its business 'Roads' are made independently" and that he does not believe that the executive "Roads" director Radoš Zečević said something different.
"Taught by my previous experience with you personally, I don't believe that Mr. Zečević told you such a thing", stated Kaluđerović earlier, responding, among other things, to the editor's request for a comment that the decision on the non-working week was made on the basis of a verbal consultation with the secretary of traffic.
In a reply to Miloš Mašković, the executive director of "Puteva" repeated that the fact that city transport does not work on Easter, May 5, "is the agreement of the line manager, the director of "Puteva" and the Secretariat for Traffic".
Mašković told "Vijesta" yesterday that "the fact that anything in the system of the Capital City can be 'agreed upon' without making appropriate decisions that are harmonized with the Law and the Statute of the Capital City is worrying."
"This means that people who are in leadership positions are exercising their will... Such a decision was made contrary to the Law on Communal Activities and the Law on Traffic. In this regard, I believe that there should be responsibility not only for what was (not) done, but also for the word publicly expressed regarding the promise to citizens that their funds will be refunded, if they use taxi transport during the time when public transport is not working", he said. is he.
He does not believe that anyone will be responsible for such decisions.
The decision that "Puteva" buses will not run on May 5, on the occasion of the religious holiday of Easter, is not the first such decision made by the public company. Citizens of Podgorica, as well as visitors, were denied public transport on the first day of 2024, January 1, and on Christmas Day, January 7.
Commenting on the actions of those responsible from "Roads" to suspend public transport on holidays, the Non-Governmental Organization "Biciklo.me" previously announced that this was not in accordance with national and local regulations.
As they said earlier, the Law on Road Transport prescribes the conditions under which regular urban and suburban transport can be suspended, and added that these conditions are more closely determined by the Decision on Linear Urban and Suburban Passenger Transport on the territory of the capital.
"Which stipulates that regular passenger transportation can be temporarily suspended or changed in cases of: traffic interruption due to force majeure or road reconstruction works; due to the measures of the competent authority that directly affect traffic restrictions, while those measures last", said the NGO "Biciklo.me" earlier.
The decree, they added, also stipulates that consent to temporary suspension or change of driving schedule is given by the secretariat responsible for traffic affairs.
"Judging by the statement of the executive director of 'Roads', the Secretariat for Transport gave such consent only verbally", they said earlier and also said that the measure on stopping traffic is discriminatory.
"It is unacceptable that a basic service such as public transport is denied just because there are fewer passengers traveling during that period. It is the duty of the City to provide all citizens with suitable conditions for movement, regardless of the circumstances", said earlier from the NGO "Biciklo.me".
Zečević's statement that "Roads" will bear the costs of transportation by taxi vehicles was considered inappropriate and irresponsible.
According to the Decision on Line Transportation, they added, citizens have the right to be reimbursed for the cost of transportation by another means of transportation, so the competent authorities "will have to explain how public money is spent in the event that such requests are indeed submitted and executed."
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