During the year, Podgorica residents complained most about the noise coming from cafes in the city center, and on this basis, tourism and hospitality inspectors imposed fines totaling 26.400 euros on owners of hospitality facilities in the territory of Podgorica.
This follows from the response that was submitted to "Vijesti" yesterday by the Inspection Department (UIP) of the Capital City, which is managed by Branko Kovačević.
According to them, this year, based on reports from the Municipal Police and citizens, "190 entities were controlled."
"This was based on the installation of 86 volume limiters, while 104 supervised entities were inspected for the correctness of their volume limiters. On that occasion, 58 decisions were issued ordering supervised entities to install volume limiters," they said.
Several citizens of the inner city of Podgorica recently complained to "Vijesti" about the noise coming from cafes and the gardens of several establishments on Bokeška Street. They also said in the letter that they were unable to sleep at night because of it, and that they had reported the cases to the Municipal Inspection, which, they claim, did not respond.
The Inspection Directorate said that 71 decisions were issued and owners of catering facilities were ordered to "obtain a report on the correctness of the volume limiters."
"Considering the above, as well as the fact that the largest number of reports in the previous period were about the operation of catering facilities located in the city center, namely in the streets: (Bokeška, Njegoševa, Balšića, Bulevar Ivana Crnojevića and Bulevar Stanka Dragojevića), the part of the city across Morača and the City Quarter, the inspectors for tourism and catering placed special emphasis on the operation of catering facilities located in the above-mentioned locations when taking administrative measures and actions," they explained.
They also pointed out that inspectors "undertook administrative measures and actions when they went to the scene and ordered the entities to install volume limiters."
"Respectively, obtaining a report on the fulfillment of the requirements for noise protection from an accredited legal entity, controlling the correctness of the already installed volume limiters, as well as the time of use of electro-acoustic devices. The applicants have been duly informed about the measures and actions taken. In this regard, we would like to note that so far we have installed more than 300 volume limiters on devices through which music is broadcast in catering establishments."
They also note that the Podgorica Directorate for Inspection Affairs does not have the authority to directly measure noise levels "inside and outside the catering facility."
"The Municipal Police Service already has these powers. Bearing in mind the above, the Inspection Department will continue to control, in accordance with its legal powers in the field of tourism and hospitality, noise protection in and outside hospitality facilities in the coming period."
This summer, citizens complained about the noise coming from several establishments in the city in the late evening hours. During the public debate on the draft Decision on Working Hours, some caterers raised the issue of "loud noise", adding that "the municipal fine system is not working".
"I have my own hotel, I have to move my guests so they can sleep. That's how I protect myself, so they don't give me a one-day rating. You all know what happens after midnight. We're fighting against noise, not against working hours. Someone can't have an open disco," one of them said at the time...
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