The company "Civil Engineer" from Podgorica, which in the last tender of the Coastal Zone was granted a four-year lease of the southern part of Belane beach in Tivat, which has never been granted to private tenants before, announced that the entire process in which they obtained a part of the Tivat coast, which in the planning documentation was previously designated as a "sports and entertainment zone", was carried out according to the law and that they legally, as the most favorable bidder, obtained that beach.
Director and owner of “Civil Engineer” Aleksandar Laković Yesterday, he told "Vijesti" that "for years, equipment has been rented out on that beach for free for the benefit of local individuals, there is also garbage and illegal parking, so it is an ideal time to renovate the beach, which is planned as a beach with a promenade in the Main Project."
The Municipality of Tivat has been implementing a project in phases in the hinterland of that beach for years to renovate that part of the coast and build a lungo mare promenade according to a project created by the Coastal Department, and for which a building permit was obtained. Of the total of over one million euros invested so far in the realization of that project, the Coastal Department contributed less than a quarter of the money, while the rest came from the city budget. The action of the Coastal Department caused outrage among the Tivat public, so on Sunday afternoon, citizens held a protest in Belani, where several hundred people gathered, urging them to insist that the beach remain unoccupied and a zone available to everyone for swimming and other activities characteristic of the tradition and authentic way of life of the coastal population.
Reacting to the protest and demands of the people of Tivat, as well as the positions of the Municipality, which are in line with the citizens' demands, Laković emphasized that everything related to the procedure, which ended with such a final decision of the Coastal Zone on the selection of the lessee, was done according to the law and transparently.
"In accordance with the powers under Articles 116 and 117 of the Law on Spatial Planning and Construction of Facilities, an amendment to the Program of Temporary Facilities in the Coastal Zone for the period 2024-2028 has been prepared. This legal solution prescribes a clear procedure for adopting the Program, which is adopted by the Ministry of Spatial Planning, Urbanism and State Property, based on the previously obtained opinion of the local self-government unit, the state administration body responsible for tourism and the administration body responsible for the protection of cultural heritage and environmental protection, as well as the body responsible for traffic in relation to temporary facilities along the state road and the local administration body responsible for traffic in relation to temporary facilities along the municipal road. In accordance with the above, the procedure for adopting the Program was completely transparent, and from all of the above it is clear that the Municipality was aware of the planned locations," Laković pointed out.
He claims that the tender process "was carried out in accordance with the legal authorizations for leasing state property, and any interested user of the space could apply in accordance with the prescribed conditions of the public invitation, which was done with three bids."
He says that in addition to "Civil Engineer", offers from the company "Yacht Hotel" doo, or a consortium, also competed for the lease. Zorica Micunovic i “Bubble Factory MNE” doo.
"It is normal that the bidder who offers more money or better conditions will end up renting the location," Laković emphasized, adding that "in this specific case, the personal position of the Mayor of the Municipality (Željko Komnenović- ed.) should not be taken as meritorious in the allocation of locations in accordance with the Program, but rather the laws must be respected. A public good of Montenegro, such as access to the sea, cannot be declared a local good," he emphasizes.
Laković claims that the Municipality and Mayor Komnenović personally "carry anger" over the lawsuit for financial damage that "Civil Engineer" filed against the Municipality with a compensation claim of 800.000 euros, believing that the company was harmed when the local government, as an investor, unilaterally terminated the contract with "Civil Engineer" a few years ago for the construction of the MR2 access road to the Luštica Bay complex due to a huge delay in the dynamics of the work.
"As the Municipality sees that it is losing this dispute that it has made with its deliberate moves in favor of individuals, the total damage for the Municipality in this case will be over 1,5 million euros because it paid for the works in the amount of an additional 1,7 million euros, and only when the verdict comes," Laković points out, wondering "how long will personal interests be protected, and businessmen who actually work and pay their obligations be "slandered" in this untrue way."
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