Residents of several Bijelo Polje villages blocked the highway Bijelo Polje - Belgrade, in the town of Konatare, this morning from 10 a.m. to 10.30:XNUMX a.m. The fifth blockade, and the first this year, with the same request - to terminate the concession contract for geological research at the quarry in Bijedići, which the state concluded with the Bijelo Polje company Elas.
"Today we gathered to send a message to the Government, the Ministry of Mining and Energy, the Administration for Cultural Heritage, the Institute for Geological Research, the Municipality of Bijelo Polje and the concessionaire. That we will never allow a quarry to be formed in Bjedići, to destroy nature, to they are destroying water sources, to destroy complete life,'' says protest organizer Krsto Tvrdišić.
Locals claim that last year the concessionaire devastated the archaeological site, which was discovered at the beginning of May last year, when the road to the quarry was dug.
"To clear himself, he called the Institute for Conservation and Archeology and hired a couple of archaeologists who very briefly explored the area. They spent more time with the concessionaire visiting local pubs," said Tvrdišić.
In the meantime, the six and a half thousand year old site has been given the status of a protected cultural property. The archaeologist's report shows that minimal damage was done when the road was cut, the opening of which is not allowed, but it was moved not far from there. That opens up a new problem.
"The road that leads to the place where the quarry should be, passes through our property. The state has registered that road in its name. It is six meters wide. If the road is widened, it will collapse. That road will not be destroyed our plot by six, but by more than 10 or more meters,'' says Momo Prebiračević, a resident of the village of Bijedići.
Because of this, they will start a court case.
"We ask that the prosecutor's office in Bijelo Polje finally investigate this case of falsifying signatures in the local administration and in the local community of Gubavac," said Uglješa Prebiračević, a resident of the village of Pećarska.
The Ministry of Energy and Mining told TV Vijesti that up to this stage, according to the contract with them, Elas has all the necessary permits for detailed geological research and the exploitation of technical-building stone at the Ober site. After the research is completed, they should prepare a report and receive a decision on the reserves of mineral raw materials.
"Upon completion of this phase, the development of the Main Mining Exploitation Project, revision and issuance of the revision clause follows, followed by the preparation of the Environmental Impact Assessment Elaborate, which is also revised. Only after the approval of the Environmental Impact Assessment Elaborate can an Approval be obtained for exploitation. The Directorate for Inspection Affairs - Geological Inspection, which controls that phase of research, was also informed about these investigations," the Ministry said.
They say that they will try to resolve all disputed issues in communication with the locals. Until then, round-the-clock machine blockades continue, which began on June 19.
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