As long as the demarcation process is underway, I will not elaborate on the elements of the process, said Mr Ivan Vuković, Mayor of Podgorica answering the question if borders with the Municipality of Tuzi will follow the borders of cadastral municipalities.
At the same time, that’s his answer to the question if that process will be finished without arbitration.
What’s your opinion about the administration you lead? Is it different from the one you expressed in the letter warning managers and reminding them they could be replaced.
Mr Vuković: I am very satisfied with the administration. Many capital projects have been completed – Boulevard in Donja Gorica in the first place. We have initiated a whole set of new projects, the most important of which is the Waste water purification system. These projects guarantee long-term perspective of Podgorica’s intense development. As for the letter you mentioned, I think it is my duty to criticize what seems to be inappropriate fulfillment of tasks.
Parliamentary elections are scheduled for next year. Can you guarantee that Capital City budget, projected to amount to €93 million, will be focused on citizens’ needs only, and not on the campaigns of the functionaries?
Mr Vuković: The budget is clearly defined in all segments. Every euro will be spent on what it is intended for. The Capital has cut the budget for salaries by almost 2%, and the level of one-off funds for social benefits is the same.
Has the Capital received interrogation notice form the Special State Prosecutor’s Office in relation to the possible criminal elements in the activities related to the construction of the bridge, part of the Southwest bypass project? Do you think the Capital is rich enough to pay several millions more just for the sake of beauty?
Mr Vuković: We haven’t received anything from the Special State Prosecutor’s Office in relation to this matter. This decision has been adopted as it was important not only in terms of aesthetic but also in terms of functionality. We decided to accept that project, guided by the long-term interest of the Capital, avoiding to get caught into a trap of widely-spread populism in Montenegro.
Citizens are paying the price of the illegal actions performed by the former Mayor. Are you ready to call on Mr Miomir Mugoša to assume responsibility, because he didn’t use public money for the public sake?
Mr Vuković: Citizens didn’t pay anything that doesn’t belong to those who sued us. Capital City Administration will act responsibly in this and in similar cases.
How many new jobs will be created in Podgorica next year? How many jobs in legal entities established by the Capital will be abolished?
Mr Vuković: Positive economic trends we record are easily measurable and its concrete results are very visible in the Capital. Currently, unemployment rate in Podgorica is considerably lower. With million worth investment in infrastructure, we are creating new perspectives for the development of the Capital. Investors plan to create hundreds of new jobs next year.
Rationalization of jobs in legal entities has already started. By the end of next year, there will be 10% less employees in the Water supply and sewerage enterprise. Similar plans are afoot in other enterprises, but we take into account the necessity for the continuation of work.
Construction of the plant for waste water treatment is in sight. What project is the biggest challenge of local administration, after this one?
Mr Vuković: Apart from the waste water treatment system, too priority of local administration is completion of the road system in Podgorica, that is, formation of traffic ring around the Capital which will reduce congestion downtown.
Now that the last phase of the bypass in Golubovci and Boulevard in Donja Gorica are finished, we are going to focus on the completion of Southwest bypass. In cooperation with the Government, we have initiated the project of the construction of a boulevard for Tuzi. Reconstruction of the old road towards Danilovgrad is expected to be finished soon. Construction of the West bypass, connection between Cetinje and Nikšić road, will start soon.
FC will get a stadium?
The only second-league football club from Podgorica, FC Drezga, can’t play on its own field because it is inadequate. Will the Capital take part in the construction of the stadium in Piperi?
Mr Vuković: The Capital has helped functioning of the sport collective several times and we are very proud of the success Drezga achieved. In cooperation with the management of the club, we are working on setting preconditions for the construction of the field. With the support of the Football Association of Montenegro, I firmly believe we will get new stadium in the next five years.
