In spite of protests of locals and their clearly expressed demands for halting the construction, the building contractor has completed the access roads to the construction location at the river. Entire roads have been cleared, destroying private and public properties along Bjelava, Mala Bjelava and Velika Bjelava rivers, and reaching as far as Lučka springs.
Citizen Association ''Bjelava'' Foča has learned that a committee will be formed to put a stop to the construction activities, even though the construction itself has already been completed and the machinery moved from the construction location.
Association emphasizes that temporary halting of the construction is simply buying time for the investor in an attempt to avoid the responsibility for illegal actions on Foča rivers in the past several months.
The Association members were informed by the Cabinet of President of RS Željka Cvijanović that a notice has been sent to the Ministry of Spatial Planning, Construction and Ecology, Ms. Srebrenka Golić, as well as the Chairman of Foča Municipality, Radisav Mašić.
The Ministry states that they have not issued construction permits for building small hydropower plants "Bjelava" and "Mala Bjelava" on Bjelava river.
Residents from the ''Bjelava'' Foča association reached out to:
- Municipality Chairman,
- Deputy Municipality Chairman,
- President of the SO Foča,
- Head of the economy and social activity department,
- Head of the inspectorate department.
to inform them that on August 9, 2020 the construction has been completed and machinery moved, and that a committee whose establishing was promised has nothing to put a stop to.
In the meantime, as the locals are battling the administrative battle, protest signs have been removed.
Photo source Citizen Association ''Bjelava'' Foča
''Even though the Chairman has never responded to one of our numerous appeals about the illegality of the construction works, as well as regarding the construction itself next to Velika Bjelava and the endangering of the city water supply, we consider it our duty to inform the municipality about what is going on in the field. We also think that it is hypocritical and irresponsible to state in the media that a committee is being formed to address the construction activities that have been going on for the past five months and were completed yesterday." – as stated on the Association website.
It is stated on the website of citizen association ''Bjelava'' Foča that ''We have witnessed that in all this time the local administration has not reacted, which is grounds for suspecting that they are complicit in these actions. Luckily, contrary to the municipality ones, there are higher institutions that are doing their job, and we hope that with theirs and the help of Foča residents, there will be no more machines on our river. She is wounded, and her wounds are severe, but not all is lost, and mother nature will make sure she recovers.''