The mayor of Kolašin, Petko Bakić, has been asking the local police for help with a controversial project: redirecting the Ljevaja River to supply water for ski resorts on Bjelasica mountain including snowmaking and general water needs.
But the people living in the village of Mušovića Rijeka aren’t on board. They’ve blocked the workers several times, saying the river’s being forced “uphill” through pipes and that it could harm the village’s water supply and even one of the oldest hydroelectric plants in Montenegro.
Both the municipality and the company leading the project, Sigilum Co, have reached out to the police multiple times, but the Police Directorate says legal conditions haven’t been met for them to intervene.
Some locals thought the police were siding with the company, especially when the head of the Northern Security Centre, Haris Đurđević, came to town. But the police later explained he was on a routine work visit and did not show up with company reps though they were present at part of the meeting.
According to the police, the meeting was held to explain the legal procedures: the police can only act when a formal request comes from official state or local institutions not private companies and only if certain legal criteria are met.
They emphasized that they’re not taking sides in this dispute and that their involvement has limits. Unless the proper legal steps are taken, the police won’t intervene, even if tensions between residents and the construction team rise.
This situation really shows how tricky progress can be when it bumps up against local concerns. Sure, ski resorts bring money and tourists, but when people feel like their basic needs like clean water are being put at risk, they’re going to fight back. And honestly, who can blame them? Trust is everything in projects like this, and without clear communication, transparency, and legal backing, it just looks like people are being side-lined. Whether or not the project goes forward, the voices of the locals deserve more than just a footnote.
Written by our correspondent A.A.
