Podgorica Mayor Saša Mujović said that any relocation of the wastewater treatment plant from Botun is unacceptable and impossible for the Capital City.
Mujović said on TV Vijesti's "Colors of Morning" that, according to his information, there is no possibility of extending the deadline for the start of collector construction after December 31st.
"Negotiations are something that should always be given a chance, if our desire is to solve the problem, not to fake negotiations."
He said that the Capital City is "backed against the wall" and cannot act to change its location.
He also referred to the recent local referendum in Zeta, in which citizens declared that they were not in favor of building the plant in Botun.
"We are in defeat celebration mode. You had a referendum in Zeta and a celebration. Wait, what are we celebrating? We are celebrating that a wastewater treatment plant will not be built, that will help Zeta, Podgorica, Montenegro. We are celebrating that the red mud pools will not be rehabilitated, that Podgorica will go bankrupt..."
He reiterated that the facility is not a polluter.
Locals said yesterday that they reject the government's offer and said that the plant will not be built on the territory of Botun.
"These people don't have to believe me or anyone else, it's enough for us to visit the facilities in Europe, Germany, and see if it's the same technology and if it gives results," said Mujović.
He said that the government had made a clear statement and had given him support in "the most difficult, crucial times." "No one has received such guarantees as the residents of Botuni."
"We are ready to translate everything that the Government has defined as recommendations for the Capital City into reality and obligations."
He called on political entities, "namely, political entities that are against the construction of collectors", to work in the Parliament of Montenegro to amend the Law on Environmental Protection, to "obligate ourselves by law to everything that exists in the conclusions of the Government".
He proposed that, among other things, these amendments to the law "define a compensation claim if anyone's environment is endangered."
"The one who endangers, the municipality, anyone, that entity, should pay. I am ready, I am clearly saying, I am calling on Mr. Knežević to submit an amendment to change the law, and I know that the list of parties that I led in Podgorica will support it, and I believe that the other members of the ruling majority will too. I think that we must give our full contribution from that aspect and give guarantees to the people whose trust has been violated, all of this is absolutely justified."
He assessed that the European Union had "never stood by a project more strongly" and supported it. "And you know how strict the EU is when it comes to environmental standards, the rule of law, and the threat to human rights. I am sure that they would not support us if we derogated from anyone in any way."
Asked about the possible involvement of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Police Administration, Mujović said that he is in favor of "everyone working and everyone bearing their share of responsibility."
He said that the Municipal Inspection, which has repeatedly ordered the people of Botunja to remove the tents set up at the location intended for the construction of the plant, must respect the law and that it is clearly prescribed what that service should do.
"All possible activities of the Municipal Police or the Police Directorate must be strictly professional, strictly in accordance with the law, and respect the integrity of every citizen - both those of us who are in favor of the construction of that facility, and those who are protesting."
The Capital City has repeatedly explained that Podgorica may have to pay up to 100 million in fines if construction does not begin by the end of this year.
When asked if he was ready to resign if the construction of the collector did not begin by December 31, he recalled that he had said that the collector was the most important facility and said that, in the event that construction did not begin and that Podgorica was obliged to pay penalties and compensation, and that the budget for 2026 was decimated, that instead of the 160 million it was projected to have, it had 10, 20 million or not even that much at its disposal, he was absolutely not ready to continue performing his current function.
"If we don't have those funds, absolutely," said Mujović.
When asked whether construction of the plant in Botun can begin despite the opposition of the locals, with the assistance of all competent authorities, Mujović said that it is a very sensitive issue.
"I wouldn't want to come across as someone making threats today, I'm just calling for everyone to do their job, like the Capital City did, and in that case there won't be any problems."
He reiterated that the Capital City's starting point is that they cannot move the location. "Not because we won't, it's simply mission impossible, if we want to maintain our resources and credibility."
"Construction and rehabilitation in parallel, realistic deadline of three years"
Mujović said that the construction of the plant and the rehabilitation of the red mud pool must be done in parallel, and that the realistic deadline for completing these tasks is three years.
He believes that the problem of the red mud basin can be solved, and that the Capital City and the Government have done everything in their power to do so.
"At PES we know what we have to do"
The Mayor of Podgorica believes that the city government has functioned very well in the past year and says that he is satisfied with all parties and their contributions.
"The same DNP, Milan Knežević and his patronage are one story, and the councilors who gave their full contribution and were of exceptional help in the implementation of our city's projects are another story."
Asked whether Knežević has any real support at the state and local level, or whether it is pressure without real power, Mujović says that he does not think about it.
"What is his political strategy, pretense, reality... I only know that the political entity I belong to has clearly developed scenarios and we know what to do in each of the potential options," he said.
Velje Brdo must be built according to plan, respecting the professional opinion
When asked whether Podgorica could infrastructurally support the construction of a new settlement on Velje Brdo, Mujović said that this was possible if it was done according to plan and if the professional opinion was respected.
He believes that it is an excellent idea, but that "it cannot and should not be done the way City Quarter was done."
"The Siti Quarter has been turned into a large dormitory with a large number of buildings, you have no schools, kindergartens, a health center, and what can you expect - complete collapse. Now, if you build here, as we have here, a loop connecting Smokovac and Tološe, so you have access, if a highway is built through Velje Brdo, if the profession is respected and it is built in such a way that a certain number of buildings and apartments must be supported by appropriate infrastructure, such as schools, kindergartens... then you have no problem. If you are going to make Velje Brdo the same as the Siti Quarter, and condemn those people to travel to the nearest schools and health centers every morning, then that is a disaster for Podgorica."
"Traffic congestion a pressing problem"
Mujović said that traffic jams are a pressing problem in Podgorica.
"Some poor solutions in the field of spatial planning have been reported. Numerous buildings that have received permits in the meantime have been moved into, you have a whole contingent of new settlements that cannot be supported by the road infrastructure," he pointed out.
He outlined some possible short-term, quick solutions.
"I think that by the summer we will have a simulation model of traffic in Podgorica and offer concrete solutions, based on rapid intervention measures. This means that we have to optimize traffic signals for each road individually."
One possible solution is to eliminate a large number of left turns at intersections, and the possibility of permanently opening right turns is also being considered.
One of the proposals is to introduce traffic lights at roundabouts, while it can be helped by installing pedestrian traffic lights at pedestrian crossings, where traffic jams occur.
One of the measures that can help reduce crowds, says Mujović, is the introduction of flexible working hours.
He also pointed out the lack of local planning documents, and said that they must create a new Podgorica Urban Development Plan and detailed urban plans.
Mujović said that they are "on the verge" of resolving the issue of appointing the chief city administrator, and he believes that they will also appoint a city manager soon.
"The conditions we offer as the Capital City are quite uninteresting, from a material aspect, and we don't have an adequate choice in every situation. And, filling a position just for the sake of filling it, in my opinion, is not the right solution. We had several options and candidates, but I think we have a serious solution."
Notice: "Vijesti" in the previous version of the text did not quote Mayor Mujović precisely enough in the title, which we have since corrected. We apologize to Mayor Mujović and the readers of "Vijesti". (Tina Popović)
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