Residents of Podgorica's Zagorič Park Forest blocked the roundabout in the Podgorica settlement of Zlatica, in front of the highway entrance, today from 3:00 PM to 3:30 PM.
They are protesting because of, as they say, the high interest rates the state has charged them for paying for state-owned plots of land on which they built houses about 20 years ago.
The Police Department previously confirmed to "Vijesti" that there will be a complete traffic shutdown from 15 to 15:30 p.m. The institution initially announced that the blockade would last until 16 p.m.
Jeremić: This is all about the citizens. We want the Prime Minister to welcome us, listen to us, and help us.
"We have been fighting for a long time. We are not here out of concern, but for justice. We have been praying for a long time for someone to help us. We did not come to that settlement alone and at one point there was the president, the mayor, the prime minister, Milica Pejanović Đurišić... The current government says it is not interested in the promises of the previous government. This is all about the citizens. We want the prime minister to receive us and listen to us and help us. No one has received us and said they were wrong," said Radovan Jeremić, a resident of the Zagorič Forest Park.
He added that the verdicts were returned illegally, for which he claims they have evidence.
"First, the High Court panel sent a message to Vesna Medenica that we cannot have material legal relations with those who had their land returned," Jeremić said.
He pointed out that they expect Prime Minister Milojko Spajić to receive them, and that they want to pay "what is required by law."
"The main problem is the illegally high interest rates and court costs. We want to pay the land for what it costs," said Jeremic.
He said that 35 euros per square meter was acceptable to them, and that they were not allowed to pay seven euros per square meter at the beginning.
"The land was illegally returned to the Vučinić and Stamatović families, which had already been paid for once... We are seeking law and justice," said Jeremić.
He announced that the blockades would be longer if Spajić did not accept them.
Jeremić pointed out that around 200 families were affected, and that they were being threatened with having their houses "taken away".
"We built houses on state land, not on Vučinić's and Stamatović's land," he pointed out.
Grdinić: The residents of Mali Brdo have a problem
Gordan Grdinić, a representative of the residents of the Podgorica settlement of Malo Brdo, said that the representative of the residents of that settlement
"I am here to support our friends and fellow citizens. They have a situation where they built on state land, which later became private. They have a problem with these interest rates. I would like to tell you that the residents of Mali Brdo have a problem. The state understands my situation. They did build on state land, but the price was less than it is now. They are unofficially warning us that the price will be twice as high. There are about a thousand buildings there," said Grdinić.
He said they would like someone to take them in.
"We have an initiative that we sent to the mayor, we previously sent to Minister Radunović (Minister of Spatial Planning, Urbanism and State Property Slaven). There has been a problem that could escalate. I call on Mujović (Mayor of Podgorica Saša) to receive these citizens, because everything will eventually reach the Capital City, the Property Directorate, and in the end the mayor must sign it. If he cannot, there are deputies, secretaries," said Grdinić.
When asked by journalists what price they would accept, Grdinić said that a price that they would accept is between 30 and 50 euros, and that they consider that to be market price.
Kruščić: It was a garbage dump, we brought water and electricity
Dejan Kruščić said that the problem of the Zagorič Forest Park is over 20 years old.
"We brought that uncultivated land into order. It was a garbage dump, we brought in water and electricity. And now they are bringing in appraisers and now they are setting prices. They should have been determined then. It was known even then that it had to be paid for. That land was not worth as much 30 years ago when they gave it to us as it is now," said Kruščić.
One of the residents of the Zagorič Forest Park said that they will block the road at the same time for the next six days, and from January 26th for an hour each time.
Residents of the Zagorič Forest Park have been protesting at the location in recent days because of, as they claim, the high interest rates charged by the state for paying for state-owned plots of land on which they illegally built houses about 20 years ago.
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