The Pljevlja Municipal Assembly has adopted a decision extending the working hours of catering establishments in Pljevlja by four days a year during religious and state holidays, which has caused conflicting reactions from most opposition councilors. The decision will only apply to catering establishments that are not located in residential buildings.
Instead of until two o'clock after midnight, catering facilities in Pljevlja will be able to operate until five o'clock on January 1st, when the New Year is celebrated, January 13th, when the Orthodox New Year is celebrated according to the Julian calendar, October 27th, the Day of Holy Friday, and the 27th night of the month of Ramadan.
The President of the Municipality, Dario Vraneš, said that the initiative to extend working hours came from the Imam of the Husein Pasha Mosque, Ferid Osmankadić.
"The initiative itself came from Ferid Osmankadić, our venerable imam, who explained the specifics that we have in Pljevlja, which is the religious ceremony that we have on the 27th night of Ramadan. Then a large number of our fellow citizens, even from surrounding countries and cities, come to Pljevlja and have a religious ceremony that takes place all night in our mosque. An extension was requested so that they could visit catering facilities later. I accepted his initiative," said Vraneš.
It is also stated that there have been numerous requests from caterers from Pljevlja to extend working hours during certain religious and public holidays, and that a similar practice exists in other cities in Montenegro.
Nova councilor Božidar Jelovac said that the change in the decision allows caterers to earn more, which will also contribute to more money flowing into the municipal budget.
"We are also making a big step forward, for all those people who are believers to be able to come somewhere more freely and safely. We invite all these people to visit Pljevlja. For 250 years, the hair of the Prophet Muhammad has been kept in the Husein Pasha Mosque, which is taken out on the 27th day of the month of Ramadan. On that day, a large number of believers from the region visit Pljevlja. We must meet their needs and enable them to sit down somewhere and have a drink after the religious ceremony. We are providing great relief to the Islamic community and at the same time enabling our businessmen to expand their activities," said Jelovac.
He also said that caterers will be able to work longer in Pljevlja for the Orthodox New Year and St. Friday.
"Pljevlja is one of the few cities that has managed to hold an Orthodox New Year's Eve celebration, which is appreciated by many in the region. Our task is to ensure that many people from the surrounding area come to Pljevlja next year to celebrate the Orthodox New Year. This year, for St. Petka's Day, we had a significant program and that this year three bishops were in Pljevlja. We must use that and we will not stop there. We must use it to finally build quality access roads to the Holy Trinity Monastery, where the ark of Saint Sava is kept," said Jelovac.
DPS councilor Dragiša Sokić believes that catering establishments are open until five in the morning too long.
"I don't know how legal the idea of separating facilities into residential and other types is. You are discriminating against service providers because they are already separated by category. I think that up to five hours is a long working time," said Sokić.
He also said that the extension of working hours on the holiday of St. Petka is the introduction of that holiday for the Day of the Municipality of Pljevlja.
"This is the introduction of the municipality's day behind closed doors because it stands out from all other religious holidays. What we all know is that the most famous religious holiday celebrated in Pljevlja is Trinity Day. Sveta Petka has been established for less than a century and is part of a new tradition and part of some new Pljevljas that are disrupting something that is a centuries-old tradition of this area," said Sokić.
Bosniak Party councilor Amina Brahić believed that the working hours of catering establishments should be extended during the entire month of Ramadan.
Movement for Pljevlja councilor Božidar Bajić believes that caterers have an interest in working as long as possible, but that, as he said, is more dangerous.
"These hours should be set very restrictively. Longer working hours are our longer headache," said Bajić.
Independent councilor Saša Ječmenica said that extending working hours allows for the creation of "until dawn chaos, even though we know that bad things can happen before dawn."
"There will be more fights and traffic accidents. We have quickly opened a riot police station in Pljevlja," said Ječmenica.
DPS councilor Tanja Dragašević believes that the extension of working hours is accompanied by the consumption of greater amounts of alcohol, which can lead to an increased number of accidents.
"We are also putting employees in a difficult position because they will have to work extended hours. And these people want to spend the holidays with their families, so there is great dissatisfaction. Where are you pushing the youth, is it promoting religion to spend religious holidays in cafes instead of with their families," said Dragašević.
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