The damage on the Mojkovac-Lubnice section of the road, along the Bjelojevićka River, towards the Mojkovac ski center, was caused, as the Traffic Administration (UZS) told "Vijesti", "due to slope erosion, which led to the creation of a dam in the riverbed and its overflow". Representatives of the UZS, together with representatives of the Government of Montenegro and local administration, visited the location where the road was damaged a few days ago in order to "assess the damage, determine the potential cause and jointly find a solution to repair the damage".
The UZS explains that the final answers to these questions will be provided by an expert committee.
They remind that after the construction of the road was completed, an inspection was carried out during a visit by the Technical Acceptance Commission, with the presence of representatives of the Road Safety Inspectorate and supervision, and it was concluded that the works were carried out with high quality and in accordance with the technical regulations for this type of work, and that no deficiencies were observed.
However, problems were already noticed "on the ground outside the road zone".
Thus, according to what the Administration says, it has been observed that at the seventh kilometer upstream from the confluence of the Bjelojevićka River and the Tara River, in a zone that is not included in the project documentation and is located outside the road zone, erosion and landslides are present.
"Landslides create a dam in the bed of the Bjelojevićka River, which then overflows uncontrollably, thus jeopardizing the stability and durability of the newly constructed structure. Using the newly constructed structure (road) without permanent repair of the erosion problem would endanger the lives of road users. In order to permanently solve the erosion problem, it is necessary to conduct detailed research and quality project documentation on the basis of which the repair work would be carried out," the Administration explains.
They remind that, in accordance with the Water Law (Articles 98, 102 and 103), the issue of permanent rehabilitation is within the jurisdiction of local government, in the specific case of the Municipality of Mojkovac, which, they claim, is already aware of the aforementioned problem through letters from the Traffic Administration.
Also, the investor (UZS) noted that there was a major rock slide at the site where the concrete fence was installed, that is, erosion of the slope along the Bjelojevićka River, which, they explain, they have also informed the local administration about.
The road to the future Mojkovac ski resort was damaged during a storm in January, and some assumptions are that the massive damage to more than a kilometer of the road was caused by drilled pipes from small hydroelectric power plants (SHPs), which were built into the road.
From the UZS's response to questions from "Vijesti", it was not possible to determine who and when allowed the installation of pipes in the road, but they claim that this was not foreseen in the project for the construction of the Mojkovac - Lubnice section.
"The pipes for the small hydropower plant on the Bjelojevićka River in the roadbed were not foreseen in the project for the construction of the Mojkovac - Lubnice road. The UZS is responsible for the maintenance, reconstruction and construction of state roads. Concessions for small hydropower plants, or the installation of pipelines for small hydropower plants, are the responsibility of the relevant ministry," the Administration says.
As the President of the Municipal Assembly Marko Janketić told "Vijesti" a few weeks ago, the Municipality has repeatedly asked the Government not to grant concessions for the small hydropower plant, given the importance of the road and the need for artificial snowmaking from that watercourse.
In July 2024, the ruling majority councilors asked the government to terminate the contracts for the small Bjelojevićka 1 and Bjelojevićka 2 hydropower plants on the Bjelojevićka River. They argued that these energy facilities “endanger the biodiversity and capacity of the river, which would later be used for artificial snowmaking and water supply to ski resorts.”
"Given the decisive fact that no hydrological study was conducted for the needs of the Žarski Ski Center, this poses a real problem for opening the ski resort due to the lack of water for its needs. In the event of the possible start of operation of the small hydropower plant, there would be no possibility of water supply to the ski center, nor would there be the possibility of artificial snowmaking and creating an accumulation lake for the needs of the ski center," it was written in the explanation of the conclusion that will be sent to the Government and the relevant ministry.
They explained that the construction of energy facilities puts the road route to the ski resort in question, because the pipes of the energy facility are built into the road itself. They also believe that it is necessary to review the entire project of building a small hydropower plant on the Bjelojevićka River.
"Given that the strategic commitment of the Mojkovac municipality is the development of tourism, it is undeniable that the hydropower project would jeopardize the opening of the Žarski Ski Center, and given the fact that the Government plans to terminate the contract with the concessionaire for the opening of the Brskovo mine, precisely on the grounds of environmental protection and tourism development, we believe that it would be necessary to terminate this contract as well," the conclusion reads.
The small hydropower plants are not yet operational, because the local government has not given consent to the owner of these facilities to use two municipal plots.
The contracts for the small hydropower plant on the Bjelojevićka River, as claimed by the Mojkovac authorities, were signed "in a hurry" in October 2020, during the "technical" government of the outgoing government. The concession for this watercourse was previously given to the "Hydro Bjelojevićka" consortium, which consists of the Podgorica company "Čelebić", with a 54 percent stake, the football player Stefan Savic, with a four percent stake, and “Synergy” with a one percent stake. In compliance with the provisions of the Concession Agreement, the concessionaire established the concession company C&S Energy, and Savić later transferred his ownership stake to Milica Fustic.
It was not possible to get an official comment from the Mojkovac Municipality yesterday, but "Vijesti" was unofficially told that they do not have a single document that would clarify when and who allowed the installation of the pipes in the road structure.
The local government has repaired damage to that section of the Mojkovac - Lubnice road several times in recent years.
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