The Municipality of Tivat is not “harboring resentment” but rather addressing damages in its dealings with “Civil Engineer” from Podgorica.

This statement was made yesterday by Tivat’s local administration, in response to comments from the owner and director of “Civil Engineer”, Aleksandar Laković.

Laković had previously asserted that the process of awarding his company a four-year lease for the southern part of Belane beach in Tivat was conducted by JP Morsko dobro against the wishes of the Tivat citizens and the Municipality’s stance. This situation has recently sparked protest gatherings within Tivat. He claimed that everything was legal and that “the personal position of Tivat’s President (Željko Komnenović – ed.) should not be deemed decisive in location allocations under the Program; the laws must prevail.”

Laković further noted that “for years, equipment has been rented on this beach free of charge for local individuals, contributing to littering and illegal parking. Now is an ideal opportunity to improve this beach, which is also slated to have a promenade according to the Main Project.”

He argues that the contested beach in Belani should not be considered part of Tivat just because it bears the name.

“A public asset of Montenegro, such as access to the sea, cannot be restricted to local jurisdiction,” he remarked.

Following this, the Municipality of Tivat responded that “if we were in any EU country, after the company’s actions on the MR2 road construction projects and in creating the Belani promenade, it would not have access to any future state or local government contracts for years.”

“Unfortunately, in our context, this company seems responsible for maintaining one of the few beaches in Tivat. We firmly believe that Civil Engineer is well-versed in the legal and administrative processes involved in adopting the Plan for Temporary Facilities in the Coastal Zone, and we acknowledge their right to apply for public tenders. Their familiarity with the site stems from their role as supervisors during the promenade construction. We hold them accountable for altering the construction methodology, which has complicated the search for a contractor to resume the previously halted work,” the Municipality stated, underscoring that neither this institution nor Mayor Komnenović personally has vested interests concerning the lessee of this coastal area, nor are they contending for any specific individual or company to lease it in this manner.

“While the participation of Civil Engineer in the bidding process is unquestioned, the principle remains that every segment of coast in Boka must have its own tenant to ‘value’ and care for it, even when the lease pertains to an area slated for further promenade work,” the local administration reiterated.

They added that both the public of Tivat and Montenegro are fully aware of the reasons for the Municipality’s termination of the contract with Laković’s company regarding the MR2 road construction, including subsequent penalties imposed.

“Civil Engineer may pursue legal action against the Municipality of Tivat, but predicting the outcome of the dispute or potential compensation is uncertain. As for ownership of the coast—it’s clear: it does not belong to Civil Engineer,” the Municipality of Tivat asserted, adding that “Civil Engineer” symbolizes unsuccessful and incomplete projects in other instances, including this one.

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