The wrong authority rejected the request of the Municipality of Zeta to be a party in the inspection procedure of the construction site in Botun

The Department for Second Instance Proceedings of the Ministry of Spatial Planning, Urbanism and State Property annulled the decision of the Chief Urban Inspector, which did not recognize the status of a party to the Municipality of Zeta in the inspection supervision procedure over the facility of the Wastewater Treatment System in Botun.

According to a document that "Vijesti" has access to, the chief construction inspector will decide on the request from the Municipality of Zeta.

"The appellant filed an appeal to this ministry against the appeal decision, for all legally prescribed reasons. In essence, he states that a party, according to the rules of procedure, is any person whose rights, obligations or legal interest may be affected by the decision of a public law body, and not just an investor or a supervised entity. He believes that the inspection procedure cannot be conducted in a manner that excludes persons whose rights may have direct consequences. By not recognizing the status of a party, the municipality of Zeta was denied the right to present facts and evidence, the right to be heard, the right to legal remedy and the right to protect its interests," the decision of the second-instance body states.

It was determined, the document states, that the request of the Municipality of Zeta dated January 30, 2026, was not addressed to the decision-making body, but to the Chief Construction Inspector, which is why the first-instance body was not competent to decide.

"This makes the decision illegal in terms of jurisdiction and application of substantive law," the decision emphasized.

The residents of Botun are opposed to the construction of a wastewater treatment system, claiming that the facility could endanger their health.

After the municipal referendum at the end of last year, when the people of Zeta predominantly expressed their disagreement with the project, the administration of the Zeta Municipality, which had supported them until then, also stands against it, and has since insisted that the wishes of the people of Zeta be respected.