The removal of illegally built barns on the Žabljak bypass road has begun, despite the opposition of the owners who requested a postponement of the enforcement of the municipal inspection's decision. The demolition is taking place with the assistance of the police.
New tensions over the removal of illegal stables along the Žabljak bypass erupted this morning, prompting the Municipal Board of the New Serbian Democracy (NSD) to call for the action to be postponed and a compromise to be reached with the livestock farmers.
The municipal inspection previously ordered forty-two owners of stables on the left and right sides of the Žabljak bypass, giving them eight days to do so.
The Municipal Committee of the New Serbian Democracy (NSD) in Žabljak announced that they support the relocation of the stables from their current location, but believe that this process should not be carried out "as a shortcut" and without creating conditions for the relocation of livestock and animal feed.
"The local parliament adopted a decision back in January defining a new location for the relocation of these facilities. Until all necessary legal conditions are created that would allow farmers to take over and bring the new location to its intended purpose, we believe that the existing facilities should not be demolished," the NSD statement said.
The party warned that possible road blockades during the height of the tourist season would damage the local economy and called for an urgent compromise, with a proposal to give barn owners a month or two to complete the relocation of their livestock in a dignified manner.
They also recalled that at a meeting with the President of the Municipal Assembly, held on June 12, in the presence of the heads of the governing and opposition councilor clubs, it was proposed to postpone the demolition for a month or two, so that the owners could relocate about 400 heads of livestock and provide space for storing bulky food. As they claim, there were no objections to this proposal.
The President of the Municipality of Žabljak, Radoš Žugić, previously said that illegal stables no longer have a place in the urban core of the city and that their removal is a legal obligation of the local government.
"Two years later, I still claim that these buildings have no place on the bypass. Žabljak is expanding, it is no longer a bypass but a city street that passes through an urban settlement and these buildings must be removed," said Žugić.
He said that the Temporary Facilities Program for the period from 2026 to 2030 envisages a new location of approximately 70.000 square meters near the Economy, where the relocation of the bus station was previously planned.
However, according to him, the problem is the large number of users and livestock.
"People have stables full of horses, goats and cattle and they can't move them overnight. We have 42 owners and about 400 heads of cattle, and on the other side there are registered agricultural producers. We are looking for a solution to implement all of this in the best way," Žugić told councilors in January.
Back in January, he announced that the Municipality and the Public Utility Company were ready to provide logistical support, including mechanization and bringing water to the new location, so that livestock farmers would not be left without working conditions.
The Secretary of the Secretariat for Spatial Planning, Environmental Protection and Housing and Communal Affairs, Vukica Lalović, previously reminded that the area along the bypass is planned for residential and mixed-use buildings, and that temporary buildings, such as stables, cannot be legalized. As she stated, decisions to remove them have been issued on several occasions.
The Municipality of Žabljak attempted to remove illegal structures in June 2023 with the assistance of the police and the mechanization of the Public Utilities Company, but the action was unsuccessful.
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