Since the Sozina tunnel was opened in 2005, only one resident of Crmnica has paid 35.000 euros to "Monteput" by paying daily tolls. He couldn't buy a house with that money, but he could buy a studio apartment or an apartment, and because of that, it's clear why we have to help those people and vote for a law that will make their lives easier.
This was said by Momčilo Leković from Demokrat, at the session of the Parliament of Montenegro where the proposal to amend the Law on Roads was discussed, which foresees free passage through Sozina for citizens living north of the ramp, i.e. in Crmnica, Virpazar, Ostros and nearby villages.
"If we want to return people to the countryside, to develop tourism, to eradicate injustice, and if we want to restore dignity and honor to the inhabitants of this area, we will vote for this law. I hope that we will all be united at the vote, regardless of whether it is the opposition or the parliamentary majority," he said.
On behalf of the proponents, Leković pointed out that with this proposal they want to offer a permanent solution to the problems that the residents of that part of the municipality of Bar are facing and assessed that the temporary measures so far were not enough.
He explained that those who reside in the territory of the municipality of Bar and live in the place of residence in the territory of the municipality of Bar north of the toll plaza up to the borders of the municipalities of Budva, Cetinje, Ulcinj and Zeta, as well as vehicles whose owners reside in the territory of the municipality, would have a free pass At least they live on the south side but are employed by an employer who has premises on the north side, as well as vehicle owners who live on the south side but have real estate on the north side.
Leković read the address of the people of Crmni who said that "life in that area is as if they are imprisoned by an invisible barrier". For them, the short distance to Bar seems much longer because of the tolls they have to pay multiple times every day.
The Vice-President of the Assembly, Zdenka Popović, said that these amendments to the law will not have fiscal consequences for the state budget, but only benefits, so the Municipality of Bar will save 50.000 euros, as well as "Monteput", which will be in a surplus of 30.000 euros because they paid so much to the local communities of Virpazar. and Crmnica for subsidies.
"There is no rational reason why someone would not vote for this legal solution," she concluded.
In her opinion, this law is not discriminatory for the citizens of the north who pay for the highway, as the members of the opposition said, because it is a highway and residents of the same municipality. She compared it to the toll booth at Millennium in Podgorica and asked them how they would feel if they had to pay for every crossing over Morača.
She also read the opinion of the representative of the European Commission, in which it is written that these amendments to the law are not contrary to the directives of the European Union.
Branislav Nenezić from SD said that his caucus will vote in favor of this proposal to amend the Law on Roads and that he submitted several amendments of a technical nature to that end.
He emphasized that anyone who did not have the opportunity to go over Paštrovačka gora or the old road through Sutorman to get to Crmnica from October to January, does not know what problems the citizens living in that area are facing.
"Today we are talking about 24 villages in Crmnik, about 10 villages in Šestani and Ostros, which represent perhaps the best touristic product of the city of Bar. This is where the greatest merit is of the people who returned to their homes and by rebuilding households and wineries created the preconditions for the city of Bar to get place on the tourist map of Europe and the world," he said.
Nenezić added that by adopting these amendments to the law, those citizens will be put in a position to make even more money, and it is not an act that should be passed only for the sake of the citizens of Bar, but for the sake of everyone.
He said that he is concerned that the Government of Montenegro has not yet made a statement regarding this initiative.
Dejan Đurović (NSD) said that he himself comes from Virpazar and considers this proposal a partial satisfaction of justice. According to him, it was expected that there would be more employed people from Crmni at the Sozina tunnel, but there are not many of them.
He said that it is true that the majority of the population is elderly in Crmnica, but that these "traffic caricatures" that forced citizens to go to the city are to blame for that.
The members of DPS said that they will support this proposal if it is the best solution for this problem, but they currently believe that it is not and that it is subject to abuse. They also mentioned that this proposal is discriminatory in relation to citizens from the north who have to pay for the highway. They also requested that the proponents, the Democrats, transfer the official apartment of the relevant ministries.
MP Aleksandra Despotović (DPS) said that the President of the Municipality of Bar, Dušan Raičević, is also behind this proposal and stands with the citizens and thinks that it can be a wind at the back for the institutions of the Government of Montenegro, which have not yet declared themselves, and they have done so. the sooner that problem is resolved.
Bonus video:
