The Podgorica-based company "Vodovod i kanalizacija" purchased pumps to solve the problem of water collection on the underpass on Branka Ćopića Street in the Zlatica neighborhood, but according to locals, this problem has not yet been remedied.
"I have two children who I have to take to the 'Dragiša Ivanović' school. I can't pass under the underpass, and when I go around the cemetery in Zagorič, there are ten holes in the street that the car falls into and I can't get out of. Who should I charge for the damage to the car, 'Putevi' or 'Vodovod', because they shift responsibility from one to the other? We called 'Putevi' to fill the holes so we could pass, but that company said they were waiting for the weather conditions to stabilize," a reader told the editorial office yesterday.
At the end of last year, the company "Vodovod i kanalizacija" told "Vijesti" that they had announced a tender, that the contract had been concluded, and that they expected the installation of the pumps to be completed soon.
"Vijesti" then sent a new set of questions to "Vodovod" on January 8th and 17th, but the city company, managed by Aleksandar Nišavić, did not respond to the editorial staff.
The underpass on Branka Ćopića Street in the Podgorica neighborhood of Zlatica causes problems for citizens every time it rains heavily. According to locals, the problem arises because the road under the underpass on that street is completely flooded, closing the street. Given the heavy traffic in that part of the city, a problem immediately arises, because the street connects the densely populated neighborhood of Zlatica and Zagorič.
The reason for the situation under the underpass, as told to "Vijesti" by the Podgorica-based company "Vodovod i kanalizacija", is that the installed pumps and accompanying infrastructure do not meet the needs of the facility.
"We have announced a tender for the procurement of new pumps, and taking into account the importance of the procurement and its value, all procedures defined by law had to be followed. A contract has been concluded and the delivery of the new pumps is expected. We hope that the installation will be completed as soon as possible," they said on December 25 last year.
At that time, they also said that the maintenance of that underpass was "imposed" on them by the Agency for Construction and Development of Podgorica.
"On January 27, 2021, "Vodovod i kanalizacija" Podgorica took over the maintenance of the underpass at Stara Zlatica. Apart from the fact that it is a facility in the road body that regulates the intersection of two traffic routes, road and rail traffic, and that it has nothing to do with the storm sewer network - it is treated as a separate facility, it was "imposed" on us for maintenance," the company said.
At the end of last year, the Agency said that they had accepted the maintenance of the underpass as their responsibility in 2021, that there was a record of the Commission for Technical Acceptance of Facilities, and that nothing had been imposed on them.
As stated by "Vodovod", they received the use permit for the reconstruction of the storm sewer on October 16, 2020, and the handover of that "facility" was carried out and given for use and maintenance on January 27, 2021.
"Unfortunately, due to the incompetence and/or lack of interest of the persons who participated in the process, pumps and accompanying infrastructure were installed whose characteristics do not meet the needs of the aforementioned facility," said "Vodovod" and added that their company's services thoroughly examined the current situation after the problem that arose due to heavy rainfall.
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