Grit still in Straševina, the deadlines have expired

Only the smaller one on municipal land was removed, the rest were covered up, while the grit in the Nikšić settlement remained

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Disputed material in Straševina, Photo: Svetlana Mandić
Disputed material in Straševina, Photo: Svetlana Mandić
Disclaimer: The translations are mostly done through AI translator and might not be 100% accurate.

Residents of the Nikšić settlements of Straševina and Kličevo, who during August and September protested and organized blockades of the main road Nikšić - Podgorica due to grit that was deposited on their properties, but also on land belonging to the Railway Infrastructure of Montenegro and the Municipality of Nikšić, are dissatisfied that the disputed materials are still not removed and disposed of in another location.

The disputed waste was deposited at these locations by the company "MM System", which, after the reaction of the locals, was ordered by the Directorate for Inspection Affairs to move the waste to another location.

"During the meeting with the Minister of Ecology, Sustainable Development and Development of the North Damjan Ćulafić it was agreed that we would wait for the voluntary execution of the decision made by the acting inspector to have the company that unloaded the grit take it away. The deadline was September 23. They removed only a small part that is on the municipal land, and covered the rest, while the grit in Straševina remained", said local representatives to "Vijesta".

On September 12, at a meeting attended by local representatives, Minister Ćulafić was the president of the Nikšić Municipal Assembly. Nemanja Vuković and director of the Environmental Protection Agency Milan Gazdić said that he will wait for "MM System" to voluntarily execute the inspection order, and if this does not happen, the relocation of the grit will be done by the Municipality of Nikšić with the financial assistance of the Ministry of Ecology.

"We have found the optimal solution, which is for the Municipality of Nikšić to give the maximum in terms of the actual removal of waste from that location and to make the maximum effort, if possible, to find a safe location on the territory of the Municipality of Nikšić. If it is not possible, to dislocate the waste from Nikšće. Whether it will be at a legal landfill in Podgorica or whether it will be a temporary disposal site that meets the requirements, we will discuss and decide on that," said Ćulafić after the meeting.

The local administration told "Vijesta" that "the Municipality of Nikšić and its leadership have provided strong support to the locals from the first day and made maximum efforts to solve the problem and remove the grit from Nikšić".

"We remain with this position, but we point out that there is no possibility of action within the scope of competence of our bodies and services, but rather it is the competence of state bodies which, according to the information at our disposal, have initiated the necessary procedures in order to proceed with the execution of the decision, since the deadline for voluntary execution has passed", they replied to "Vijesti" from the Municipality.

The Environmental Protection Agency issued a permit to the company "MM System" to temporarily dispose of and process the disputed waste at the locations stipulated by law in Nikšić, which were found to be non-hazardous by the analyzes of the Center for Toxicological Research (CETI). It is about material that arrived from the Bijela Shipyard, where it was previously brought from Porta Montenegro, that is, the former "Arsenal".

The municipality filed a criminal complaint against the company "MM System" for unauthorized usurpation of property.

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