Guardians of Bukovica: We Stopped the Machines

By , 04 Sep 2019, 14:26 PM Lifestyle
Guardians of Bukovica with Thomas Waitz Guardians of Bukovica with Thomas Waitz Jc Claveria/European Green Party

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Guardians of Bukovica have been facing new problems in recent days - an attempt to persuade the public that someone is paying them to fight for their river.

This was told to “Vijesti” by Mihailo Bulatović, who told them that the goal of the river keepers is stronger than all the primitive attempts of those who want to destroy it.

"After our many years of legitimate fighting, guarding in front of machines, protests, sending complaints, we have come up with a new form of obstruction - they are trying to deceive us, so that at least someone relents and signs a capitulation. That will never happen, because the river is tied us to each other even more and we are determined to persist. It is ugly and primitive what has been going on in Savnik in recent days - the local authority is spreading the story that we have a secret financier who paid us to watch in front of the machines, 20 euros for those who stay by day and ten more for those who stayed by night. It is a disgusting lie that is being marketed by those who do nothing but out of their own interest, and therefore do not even realize that we are defending what represents a life for us," said Bulatovic.

He added that they had discovered where the story began:

"They allegedly did not pay the guard who was monitoring the machines and then when he complained, the story turned to fit them. Certainly, they have accomplished nothing except to remind us of who we are fighting against. Our patience is at an end and they have to take the machines away to know that the problem is resolved as we wish. Considering that they have violated all possible rules and procedures, from the issue of concessions to the start of preparatory works, we expect the Minister of Economy Dragica Sekulic to be with citizens, not individuals, because more than 90 percent of the local population is against construction. If they do not believe it, let them come and we will visit every household together, from house to house. However, whatever the solution may be, we will not give them the river," Bulatovic said.

For a month, until mid-June, the guards of Bukovica stayed in front of the machines of the consortium “Hydra MNE”, which, after the concession was awarded, began the construction of two small hydropower plants (SHPP).

The day watch was cancelled after being visited by the ministerial economies, which ordered all activities on the construction of the small hydroelectric power plant in Bukovica to be suspended until the Government's final decision and asked the citizens of Bukovica to stop the protests.

She came to Savnik only after Bukovica's guards announced the radicalization of the protests.

Prior to that, the municipality's first man, Mijomir Vujacic, refused to visit the river guardians, claiming that he is not going where the politics is.

Last weekend, citizens of Bukovica have been visited by Brussels-based parliamentarian and senior European Green official Thomas Waitz, who said from the river that it must be preserved and supported protests to save it.

The consortium “Hydra MNE”, which received concessions on Bukovica waters for 27 years, is owned by Jovan Gordijan and Milovan Maksimovic, cousin of Montenegrin President Milo Djukanovic.

Text by Jelena Jovanovic, on September 4th, 2019, read more at Vijesti

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