As \u201cVodovod i kanalizacija\u201d stated in their memo, an on-site inspection established that the facility was in the final stage and about to be put into operation, which meant \u201cthere are no more opportunities for releasing excess underground water into the city\u2019s sewage system on the construction site.\u201d<\/p>\n
It is worth noting that when it comes to releasing excess underground water, such permit is issued to contractors only during construction works, more specifically until the foundations are protected and hydro-insulation installed. It can be renewed for a period of two to three months, but in case of Promenada it was renewed for over a year.<\/p>\n
Apart from the request to extend the permit for draining excess water, the investor company NEPI Rockcastle also requested a permit to continue pumping excess water into the sewage system during the exploitation of the facility. \u201cVodovod i kanalizacija\u201d rejected that request as well, explaining that \u201cnowhere in the world is underground water constantly released into a sewage system.\u201d<\/p>\n
Building inspection did not conduct \u201cfor-cause\u201d inspection after all?<\/strong><\/p>\n Just over a month ago, the mayor of Novi Sad Milos Vucevic promised a \u201cfor-cause\u201d inspection of the Promenada construction site, following the appeals sent by the League of Social Democrats of Vojvodina, NGOs and opposition parties, in which they claimed that due to poor execution of works and complications with underground water we were facing a potential catastrophe, i.e. destruction of the sewage system, partial damage to the drinking water springs and long-term detrimental effects on the foundations of the nearby residential buildings.<\/p>\n Not long after that, Vucevic talked to the provincial public broadcasting network and said that the building inspection had conducted a \u201cfor-cause\u201d inspection and that the works on the Promenada construction site were progressing in accordance with the permits. However, according to the information obtained by VOICE, this inspection and supervision are still in progress.<\/p>\n According to Ikonija Karadzic, chief engineer at \u201cVodovod i kanalizacija\u201d, this company is preparing a reply to the memo sent by the city\u2019s department in charge of inspection, related to Promenada.<\/p>\n \u201cWe will send the documents that clearly show that we told the contractors, before the building permit was changed, that they were not allowed to release excess water into our system,\u201d she said and added that the inspection should then take the necessary steps that are under their jurisdiction.<\/p>\n Gradjanska Vojvodina: Sequel to Belgrade Waterfront<\/strong><\/p>\n A representative of the coalition of NGOs \u201cGradjanska Vojvodina\u201d Aleksandar Popov provided his assessment that in the case of Promenada it was not about professionalism and expertise, but that it was merely \u201can agreement between institutions and someone from the authorities who issued such a permit in the first place\u201d, which he dubbed a sequel to \u201cBelgrade Waterfront.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe can see the consequences of arrogant behaviour of the authorities. When they get entangled into a problem, which is a result of not following the procedures, no one wishes to suffer the consequences, which is why they try to get away with it,\u201d says Popov and emphasises that it is obviously the case of some kind of a \u201cdeal\u201d between someone from the city management and the investor.<\/p>\n \u201cNow, parts of the city\u2019s communal utilities system are in conflict, but they can\u2019t have a public argument, because that would reveal where the mistake was made,\u201d he believes.<\/p>\n Popov also says that we can expect the whole thing to be covered up and that it is already happening in order to cover the original mistakes.<\/p>\n \u201cWhy can\u2019t we hear anything from these companies? The idea is to resolve the situation without making noise. They\u2019ll wait for the dust to settle and then they\u2019ll do something, but they definitely won\u2019t demolish Promenada just because it doesn\u2019t have some permits,\u201c Aleksandar Popov concludes.<\/p>\n
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