A group of citizens of Nikšić and non-governmental activists are dissatisfied with the Government's intention to build a plant for processing animal by-products in the Gračanica settlement.
If the Government, as well as the Municipality of Nikšić, which transferred the ownership and management rights over the aforementioned location to the state, do not give up on this intention, they are ready for more radical measures. This was announced at a press conference organized by a group of civic activists, next to the large bridge towards Ozrinići, a location in the immediate vicinity of which the construction of the aforementioned facility is planned.
"We will leave a short period of time to see what the reactions of local and state authorities will be and whether they will change their decision. After that, we will agree on further steps together with local communities and a large number of non-governmental organizations, and there is a high probability that some of these steps will be the radicalization of all this. I hope that we will not come to that and that the Municipality will be understanding and solve this problem. As an individual, as the leader of the Islamic Community, I am ready, if there is no solution, to start a hunger strike on behalf of the Municipality in order to protect my community, because the construction of the facility would mean the disappearance of our community in this city," said the imam of the Islamic Community in Nikšić, Damir ef. Hodžić.
He stressed that they are against the construction of the plant in any populated location, not just in Gračanica, and that he is convinced, given the vastness of the Nikšić municipality, that an adequate uninhabited space can be found. According to him, about 85 percent of the Islamic community in Nikšić lives in the Gračanica settlement, in very difficult conditions, and the plant would further threaten their survival, forcing them to move. He also emphasized that the planned plant would be located 300-400 meters from the Trebjesa forest park.
Hodžić said that they had contacted the local administration twice, but that they had received a response that the construction of the plant was under the jurisdiction of the state, and that they, as citizens, felt let down by the Municipality that had ceded land to the Government for the construction of the plant.
"We are strictly against this and believe that this would bring great harm to our community, because the people will certainly be forced to relocate. We have been receiving indications that the Gračanica riverbed will be improved, and this has greatly pleased this part of the population. Instead, we are getting a facility for animal waste," the imam pointed out.
The President of the Ozrinići Local Community, Miodrag Rojević, said that the devastation of Gračanica began 80 years ago and continues to this day, that "everything we see with our eyes in the municipality of Nikšić, as well as half of Montenegro, is made of sand from the Gračanica riverbed."
"And when we exhausted the last grain of sand, we thought of 'thanking' it by starting to fill it with garbage and various waste. Now we are dealing it the final blow by building a factory for burning animal waste, which will pollute an already polluted environment. This plan is not good and I appeal to the Government of Montenegro, since it is the competent authority, so we were told, to find another location," said Rojević.
As he said, a meeting was organized with local representatives, where the Ministry of Agriculture presented them with what the future facility would look like, but that everyone present expressed disagreement with the location being 50 meters from the houses and "asked them to find another location."
"I hope they will grant our request, because more than 5.000 residents live here, in the immediate vicinity. We will try in every way to dissuade them from that idea," said Rojević.
Nardi Ahmetović, executive director of the NGO "Center for the Affirmation of the RE Population - CAREP", said that the Roma-Egyptian community lives in inadequate conditions, and a plant for processing animal by-products would further worsen their daily lives and have long-term negative consequences on the health and quality of life of all.
"Our concern is further growing due to the lack of transparency and information about this project, which makes us excluded from the decision-making process that directly affects our future. We appeal to the Government, the Municipality of Nikšić and the competent institutions to urgently engage in a constructive dialogue. We believe that it is possible to find alternative solutions that will not endanger the health and safety of the residents of this area. We sincerely hope that together we will be able to ensure better conditions for all of us and that our voices will be heard," said Ahmetović.
The proposed location for the construction of the aforementioned facility is located in the Gračanica settlement, with a total area of 19.923 square meters, and at the session of the Municipal Assembly, held on March 29 last year, a decision was adopted to return the right to dispose of that land to the Government of Montenegro for the construction of the facility. The opposition was against the aforementioned decision.
The organizers of the conference in the Gračanica settlement were the Islamic Community, the Nikšić Jamaat, the local communities of Ozrinići, Župa, Humci and Rastoci, and non-governmental organizations - "Center for Roma Initiatives - Nikšić", "Osvit", "Defendologija, "Center for Affirmation of the RE Population - CAREP", "Ključ", "Volunteers of Montenegro Foundation", "Roma Heart", a coalition of non-governmental organizations "Roma Forum for Integration", "Youth Roma Club of Trebjesa Nikšić", "Association of Bosniaks Nikšić" and "Direct Democracy Initiative".
Kovačević: The location for the construction of the plant has not yet been determined
"In conversations with the Minister of Agriculture, I received information that not only has the location for the construction of the animal waste treatment plant not been determined, but it has not yet been determined in which municipality the planned plant will be built. This depends on several parameters, and the current situation is such that the plant will probably not even be built in Nikšić," the mayor of the Municipality of Nikšić, Marko Kovačević, wrote on his Facebook account.
He stressed that he understands the concerns of some citizens regarding the location that was mentioned as a possibility, but that there is still no indication that the aforementioned facility will be built there, and that the local government is committed to finding the best solution "for the benefit, first and foremost, of our citizens, and then of our state."
"I have no doubt that we will reach such a solution very soon and that the citizens will be satisfied. The local government will work on it. Renovating the devastated Gračanica riverbed will be one of the priorities of our work in the future, and for that we have received significant funds from the Ministry of Agriculture," said Kovačević.
It was originally planned that the plant would be built in Čelinska Kosa, in Bijelo Polje.
In December 2021, the government adopted a decision to build a facility for processing animal by-products at the Čelinska kosa location in the municipality of Bijelo Polje, a site located in the high mountains, 15 kilometers from Bijelo Polje, and right on the border with the municipality of Mojkovac. The facility, with a capacity of 8.000 to 10.000 tons of animal waste by-products per year, was planned to be built by the end of 2024.
"The business plan estimates that 5,3 million euros are needed to build the facility, while 0,73 million euros are needed to purchase six trucks for transport. The total cost, which includes design, environmental and social impact studies, and supervision of the works, is estimated at 6,9 million euros," the government's information on the change in location for the construction of the plant states.
Funds for the construction of the facility were obtained through the MIDAS 2 project, and the facility was supposed to be built by June 2025. Since the Municipality of Bijelo Polje did not proceed with the preparation of an updated Property Assessment Report, due to "significant disapproval of the local population, as well as the uncertainty of the construction of the Regional Center for Solid Municipal Waste at the Čelinska kosa location", and since the time limit for the implementation of the MIDAS 2 project is limited, "the construction of the facility for processing animal by-products is significantly jeopardized".
In order for Montenegro to meet the benchmarks for the closure of negotiations under Chapter 12, it is obliged, among other obligations, to ensure the establishment of a system for managing animal by-products not intended for human consumption.
On February 21, 2023, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management sent a letter to nine local governments with a request to consider the possibility of providing a location for the construction of the plant, and only the Municipality of Nikšić responded positively to the letter, "while other municipalities did not express interest."
"The Municipality of Nikšić offered two locations for the construction of the plant. The locations in question were visited by representatives of the MIDAS 2 project and after the visit it was concluded that the proposed location in the Gračanica industrial zone fully meets the needs both in terms of planning documentation, infrastructure and purpose," the aforementioned report states.
After the Nikšić Municipal Assembly adopted the transfer of management rights over the plot in question to the state of Montenegro at its session, "the legal prerequisites were created for the official change of location for the construction of a plant for the processing of animal by-products and thus the continuation of the necessary activities to prepare an environmental and social impact study and prepare documentation for the design of the plant."
"Considering that the MIDAS 2 project is scheduled to last until the end of June 2025, and that the estimated time for the design and construction of the facility is 36 months, it is necessary for the Ministry of Finance, as the signatory of the loan agreement, and at the initiative of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management, the beneficiary of this loan, to send an official request to the World Bank to extend the duration of the MIDAS 2 project for an additional 24 months. This will ensure the use of loan funds in accordance with the set development objective of the project, which is to support the fulfillment of the final benchmarks for chapters 11, 12 and 13," the Government's information states.
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