Democratic councilor in the Bijelo Polje parliament Marko Djukic He said that the Bistrica Waterworks building still does not have a water permit.
He said this at the session of the Assembly in Bijelo Polje, during the discussion of the proposal to approve the decision on setting the prices of utility services for 2026.
The director of that municipal company Esad Mahmutovic said that it is true that the Water Supply Company does not yet have a water permit and that obtaining approval is in progress, and that the same is the case with 95 percent of water supply companies in Montenegro, which is due to slow administration.
"But I hope that we are the first water utility in the country to receive it because we are at the very end of a process that is not at all simple," explained Mahmutović.
When it comes to the work of the Waterworks, Mahmutović said that water supply is regular all 365 days a year, without restrictions, concluding that successful operations have resulted in water prices being lower by about 30 percent starting next year.
"Instead of the previous 0,65 cents, it will now be 0,45 cents, and for sewage instead of 0,45 it will be 0,26 cents, so that from January 1st of next year, our fellow citizens will pay much cheaper bills," he said, adding that in the coming period, emphasis can be placed on the expansion and adaptation of the water supply and sewage network and the purchase of utility equipment, in which the local administration will assist them.
Marko Đukić also praised the work of Vodovod and Director Mahmutović, emphasizing that the good business was due to the fact that the company is not headed by a representative of the DPS.
"It is ironic to hear how DPS boasts about the results of the water supply system, the same one they managed for 32 years, until Mahmutović arrived. Behind them, in those three decades, numerous problems were left, 60-year-old asbestos pipes, with an expired shelf life in the 90s. As their former director said, the city's water supply is questionable, and the water supply building does not have a water permit, which has just been confirmed to us," said Đukić.
He pointed out that it is commendable that Mahmutović is the first director to purchase all equipment and materials directly from manufacturers, unlike the previous management, which purchased the equipment through three or more intermediaries at many times higher prices.
"Also, in the past, which is not the case now, they were no strangers to "settling" accounts with entrepreneurs, where bills with amounts of a thousand euros were reduced many times over to the detriment of Vodovod, that is, the citizens of Bijelo Polje," said Đukić.
When it comes to water prices, Đukić recalled that the ruling majority at the local level justified last year's price increase with claims of "economic necessity" and "increasing costs of the Waterworks", and that today, when it is known that prices are set by the Regulatory Agency for Energy and Regulated Utilities, they are flattering others, claiming that prices were reduced due to successful business.
"The ruling majority claims that they are responsible for the decision they themselves criticized by the same agency. Citizens clearly see the contradiction, the ruling majority claimed that the regulatory agency (which previously ordered the increase in water prices) was headed by Democrats, while the truth is completely different because it was headed by their staff. So, those in Bijelo Polje are accusing others of decisions they themselves made, the same ones that brought additional charges to citizens," said Đukić.
Mahmutović explained the role of the Regulatory Agency.
"The regulatory agency approves our price proposal and that the price of our services for the next year is solely influenced by the costs from the previous period, so it is quite clear that the more frugal and productive you were, the lower the price of our services for the next year will be, which was the goal of both our company and the local government, and we succeeded in that," said Mahmutović.
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