The Minister of Construction, Transport and Infrastructure, Goran Vesić, said today that the second phase of the „Clean Serbia“ project, which envisages the construction of a sewage network throughout Serbia, has been launched. At the session of the Parliamentary Committee for Spatial Planning, Transport, Infrastructure and Telecommunications, Vesić submitted a report on the work of the ministry he heads in the first three months of this year.
„The second phase of the project „Clean Serbia“ has been launched. We signed that agreement on May 12. Annexes were adopted for the new nine local governments. We expect to sign another nine by the end of the year,“ said Vesić. He explained that about 444 kilometers of sewers are planned to be built with this project. „Our goal is to cover over 2 million people with sewage every year through this project,“ he pointed out. Also, Vesić indicated that a good part of local self-governments has a problem with manpower when it comes to the management of facilities for the maintenance of communal infrastructure.
He said that the ministry headed by him will fulfill the plan and spend the money allocated in the budget this year. He pointed out that the budget provides for an allocation of 72 percent for capital projects. As he explained, the state provided money for the reconstruction of a large number of buildings and bridges. “We intend to provide even more money for small projects in local self-governments in the coming period. We will intensify that with the EU,” said the minister. Regarding water transport projects, Vesić said that they managed to “unlock” the port of Prahovo, which was pending, as well as the port of Bogojevo, so that “a large number of these projects that are part of water transport will be launched this year”.
The minister reminded that the ministry is working on contracting the “Smajli” road, which was supposed to go to Nakov, but that, as he explained, it was abandoned. “We will have 186 kilometers of road that will go to Srpska Crnja”, pointed out Vesić. The next road we will build is “Karađorđe”, which will be contracted next year, and which will go through Šumadija, said Vesić. He reminded that it is a great shame that the reconstruction of the Niš-Dimitrovgrad railway, for which money has been secured, has not been started for five years. As he said, negotiations for the railway from Niš to Preševo will soon be started. “With the Government of North Macedonia, we will go into the joint project of the Niš-Skoplje high-speed railway, that is, Skoplje-Belgrade,” said Vesić.
He Indicated that the figure of almost three million passengers of “Air Serbia” shows that Serbia is becoming stronger when it comes to air traffic. When asked by committee member Dragovan Milenković from SPS, regarding the works in Ivanjica, Vesić said that he will start the reconstruction of the main street in Ivanjica very soon. “The road has started to be built towards Osonica, and work will also be done towards Kovilje. It was agreed to work on two bridges that were damaged in the last floods,” said Vesić.
Vesić answered Đorđe Stanković from the People’s Party regarding the issue of the Niš airport, and on that occasion pointed out that his claims about the loss of the airport are denied by the figures, and that it is better for it to remain in the republic’s ownership than in the city’s. Vesić pointed out that the state plans to introduce a lot of measures regarding the promotion of electric vehicles. “It is an obligation for investors to provide a certain number of chargers for electric vehicles during new construction.
The obligation of all gas stations is to have one connection for electric vehicles at a certain number of dispensers,” said Vesić. He pointed out that the pumps will receive these connections in a short period of time, and that this will significantly change the picture. Vesić reminded that “Roads of Serbia” will announce a tender for the reconstruction of the existing ones and the creation of the first green rest areas in Serbia. “We are working to promote the use of electric cars,” said the minister. He reminded that they are working with the World Bank on a feasibility study on the profitability of installing solar panels along the highway. Vesić also pointed out that “the whole of New Belgrade must have noise protection along the entire length of the highway”, reports Tanjug.
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