Most Podgorica councilor clubs claim that they will not vote for decisions that treat the legalization of illegally built buildings, and they see the prices as the main drawback - 170 euros per square meter in the elite zone (the inner city center), 164 in the first, 117 in the second, 87 in the third, 76 in the fourth, and 58 euros in the fifth zone.
"Vijesti" asked the councilors how they commented on the proposal that the price of legalization per square meter be up to 20 percent higher than the currently valid decisions, but also what they propose to make the process easier for citizens.
The ruling clubs of the Europe Now Movement (PES), the Democratic People's Party (DNP), and the opposition Civic Movement URA and the European Union did not respond to the editorial team's questions.
It seems that the councilors of most clubs in the Capital City Assembly heard the voice of the citizens from last week's public hearing. At that time, the citizens told the city council that they would not be able to pay the increase in legalization prices and warned that the planned price increase would further slow down the already slow process of legalizing illegal buildings.
The exact number of illegal facilities in Podgorica is unknown, but since 2018, when the first regulation on legalization was passed, more than 14.000 requests for legalization have been submitted.
Those who are on their own and those who have usurped are not the same.
Head of the Democratic Caucus Mitar Paunović He assessed that "absolute legalization is necessary" in the city's territory.
The fact is, claims Paunović, that this goal has not been achieved "even with current prices":
"On the contrary, in Podgorica, the current interest, in relation to the total number of illegal buildings, is only about 20 percent of the owners of illegal buildings."
Paunović notes that the compensation must be fair and humane, "bearing in mind that the state has tolerated this kind of construction for decades, while citizens themselves have invested in the communal equipment of their settlements."
He also points out that the Democratic Club will propose amendments to the decision on urban rehabilitation compensation.
“We propose to expand the relief for primary housing facilities up to 200 square meters, from the current 50 percent, in order to encourage greater citizen involvement. It is particularly important to bear in mind that there are five illegal settlements in Podgorica: Zagorič Forest Park, Kakaricka gora, Dajbabska gora, Malo brdo and Vranići. Citizens of these areas are already obliged to pay for state land at current market prices, which in some cases reach up to 300 euros per square meter. Therefore, we must not view the urban rehabilitation fee as an isolated cost.”
Legalization must be fair, warns Preokret councilor Mirza KrnićThis process, he believes, is necessary and no one should be favored. It is expected, Krnić emphasizes, that the focus will be on prices.
"However, let's keep in mind that at the moment of legalization, all these facilities will be able to be sold without hindrance and will immediately gain in market value. On the other hand, this is also an opportunity for citizens to be reminded of the unrealistic promises of free legalization, made by those who are now in power, and to approach with caution the statements they now hear from these same people. What is more convenient for citizens are the discounts on basic housing facilities, as well as for citizens in social need, which is fine," he said.
He stated that the costs of legalization "should be clearly separated for those who usurped someone else's land, compared to those who built on their own."
"The entire process must be subject to adequate review and control. Legalization must be fair, legally based, and by completing the resolution of this problem, there must be an end to it, that is, there must be zero tolerance for possible future usurpations or illegal construction...".
Full compensation for some citizens is unfair
The Movement for Podgorica also supports the legalization of illegally built structures, but with changes to the proposed city decision "that will make the process more accessible, faster and fairer for all citizens."
Miloš Krstović from PZPG emphasizes that legalization is a process "that needs to be carried out to the end."
"The existing law on legalization, proposed by the Government, has already shown certain shortcomings and has not fulfilled its basic goal, which is complete and efficient legalization... I believe that a certain effort has been invested in the preparation of the city's Draft Decision on Urban Sanitation and that it largely represents a quality basis for further improvement of urban development. However, it is crucial that in this process we must not put those citizens who built in accordance with the law at a disadvantage compared to those who built illegally," said Krstović, emphasizing that "it is necessary to find a balance between correcting the current situation and preserving the principle of fairness."
Legalization, he says, must not be a reward for disrespecting the law, but, Krstović emphasizes, it must be a realistic and sustainable solution to the current situation on the ground.
"Also, I believe that increasing prices and introducing additional financial charges is not a good approach...", he said.
Head of the New Serbian Democracy (NSD) club Mitar Susic He said he supports that all property owners in Podgorica "have legal status."
"That is, they can exercise their property rights to the full extent. Under current legal solutions, these rights, for illegal buildings, are greatly restricted, although this is often not the fault of the citizens, but rather the inefficiency of the local and state apparatus in the previous period. In general, our system is very unfair to citizens as holders of property rights. Fortunately, there are now tendencies to resolve this."
He stated that the Legalization Law should have forced state authorities to pay attention and added that "it should be implemented efficiently and with full sensitivity towards citizens."
"It is not disputed that everything that is due should be paid. It is necessary to bear in mind that citizens who built houses without a permit most often solved their own communal problems. It would be unfair for a good part of the suburban settlements in Podgorica to charge full compensation for urban rehabilitation, bearing in mind that they have already incurred costs for bringing electricity, water, sewage, roads...", said Šušić, adding that he is "in principle against it and that a modality should be found that will take these facts into account in reality."
Klikovac: Let domestic and foreign experts help us
The head of that opposition club, Andrija Klikovac, said that the draft decisions for urban rehabilitation and construction are contrary to "the promises of the 'liberators', because now even citizens see that they only intend to free citizens from the money in their wallets."
"That is, they are now saying that they promised one thing, but that times have changed. We are clearly against such a decision, because we believe that it is socially irresponsible to increase the compensation for rehabilitation at a time when the economy is rarely more complex for the people of Montenegro."
Responding to the question of what they, as the opposition, propose, Klikovac points out that it is necessary to include domestic and foreign experts in decision-making.
"First of all, in the creation process. In addition, it is necessary to analyze parallel practices in countries with similar problems, and then find optimal solutions with a broader social consensus. I think this should not be a political issue, but an issue that will decide the further development of the environments in which we live," said Klikovac.
Mugoša: Lower prices and adopt planning documents
Ilija Mugoša, a councilor for the Party of European Progress, emphasizes that the decisions came too late “with very little public debate.” Because of this, he said, this process will be doomed to failure.
"The decision for urban rehabilitation does not reflect the basic fact that arises from the Law, which is that legalization is a public interest. This decision provides for an increase in legalization prices by about 20 percent, and this cannot be a public interest. The decision brings two novelties, namely changes in terms of zoning, some settlements that were zone five are now zone four - again due to the collection of higher compensation. In this sense, we will not support this proposal, but will go in the direction of a partial reduction and return to a measure that is acceptable to citizens," said Mugoša.
Mugoša points out that the goal of legalization "should be mass adoption."
"In order to achieve this mass scale, it must be done with a general consensus, which will include a comprehensive public debate on the amount of compensation for urban rehabilitation, which will be acceptable to citizens. Secondly, in parallel with this, the Capital City and the Ministry should work on planning documents that are currently absent in most of the territory of Podgorica, which means that illegal construction will continue. All this means that in parallel with the legalization process, citizens should be enabled to valorize their property through the adoption of appropriate planning documents. This means lowering the prices of urban rehabilitation, along with the adoption of planning documentation," said Mugoša, adding that "SEP is for legalization that will be generally accepted and to an extent acceptable to citizens."
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