Nišavić announces construction of collector in Botun, coalition "For the Future of Zeta" threatens "radical measures"

If the Government and the Capital City do not dispute the construction of the wastewater treatment plant in Botun in the meantime, it is realistic for the contractor to start work in mid-May, said Aleksandar Nišavić, director of the Podgorica city company "Water Supply and Sewerage".

He told "Dan" that, until they receive a formal document from the investors of the works - the Capital City and the Government - that the project is being suspended, the company and the contractor, the Turkish company Kuzu Group, are continuing with the activities envisaged in the action plan.

Nišavić claims that changing the location of the Capital could cost at least 180 million euros.

"Is this the official position of the Capital City or just the wish of Nišavić?"

The coalition "For the Future of Zeta" announced that Nišavić's statement was "scandalous, rude and incorrect, to say the least."

"The Director of Vodovod has his own municipality, so let him build a collector on the territory of that municipality, not this one, but one every year," they said.

They say they have clearly sent a message to Podgorica Mayor Saša Mujović that they will not allow the construction of a collector in Zeta.

"We repeated the same to the Turkish Ambassador to Montenegro as well as to representatives of the Turkish company, and there is no force, embassy or other institution that will force us to change our position. You can go ahead, Mr. Nišavić, but I am afraid that you will slip on the first step, because we have told you several times that we will not allow the construction of the collector at any cost," the response reads.

They said they didn't know "where Nišavić got all this courage" to make such statements.

"At public hearings when there was talk of building a collector, he did not say a word to any of the questions asked of him by the residents of Botun and the leadership of the Zeta Municipality, but sat in the corner like a sad orphan without anyone to go to, without saying a single word. We demand an immediate reaction to such statements from Mayor Mujović, whether this is the official position of the Capital City or just Mr. Nišavić's wishes that will not come true, because we know Mr. Mujović's position after the meeting in Zeta with the leadership of the Zeta municipality and the citizens of Botun, and what he presented to the public after that meeting," they add.

They threatened "radical measures."

"Anyone who dares to try to implement this project against the wishes of the citizens of Botun and the Municipality of Zeta will face radical measures that no one wants to see. We hope that the Capital City will understand this, because it is solely because of them that we still do not have a demarcation, investors and investments are waiting precisely because of them because they do not want to transfer to us what is defined by law as ours, they have not wanted us to share equipment that has been shared for three years and they still want to build a collector on our territory, well, you will not be able to, rest assured," said the coalition "For the Future of Zeta".

Čulafić: Mujović is holding citizens hostage to political backroom games

Nišavić's statement was also commented on by Stefan Ćulafić, a councilor of the Democratic Party of Socialists in Podgorica.

"Although I believe the people of Podgorica were disappointed with the promises in October, then in November, and now in May, we should welcome the efforts of the people from Vodovod who work every day to create the conditions for the start of construction of the Plant. It is clear that there are no more obstacles, except for the political obstructions of Milan K," he wrote on Iks.

He recalled Mujović's earlier statement.

"In the meantime, almost a month has passed since Mayor Mujović stated that he would 'send a letter to the Government in five or 10 days' to decide what to do next. Since then, he has remained silent, aware that his political support depends on Milan K. and he is consciously holding citizens hostage to political backroom games," Ćulafić assessed.