The Mayor of Gospić warns that not a single kilogram of hazardous waste has been removed in 17 months and publicly invites Chief State Attorney Ivan Turudić to a meeting.
The Mayor of Gospić, Darko Milinović, has demanded the urgent remediation of hazardous waste in the city area and threatened to organize protests and bring citizens to Zagreb if the authorities do not take concrete steps soon. In an interview with Dnevnik Nove TV, he emphasized that the Croatian Government is solely to blame for any further pollution.
"For any further pollution, the sole culprit is the Government of the Republic of Croatia. I call on Andrej Plenković to listen to me. A year and a half ago, I said we should go for a direct settlement to remove hazardous waste. He and the ministry did not accept that. We have irreversibly lost more than a year and a half," Milinović said.
After the release of a report confirming the presence of PFAS compounds, salmonella, and E. coli in groundwater, Milinović expressed serious dissatisfaction with the investigation, which has been ongoing for 16 months. He noted that the experts themselves warned about the limitations of the published findings.
"Those who brought hazardous waste to the city of Gospić are responsible, but it is surprising that during the investigation-which has been ongoing for 16 months-an expert assessment has been published that raises more questions than it answers," Milinović said for Dnevnik Nove TV.
He also pointed out the chronology of delays in the expert assessment, which was initially supposed to be completed in February last year, and then the deadline was extended multiple times. "That assessment was supposed to be done in February last year, then repeated in April, then in August, then in September, then in May this year," he listed.
Milinović particularly criticized the fact that the investigation did not include testing for hazardous chemicals in the waste itself, even though they were found in groundwater. "My question to the Chief State Attorney is why he did not order testing for hazardous chemicals in the waste itself, because they were found in groundwater. And the finding very clearly says that it is very likely that it originates from hazardous waste," he asked.
The Mayor revealed that for three months he has been unsuccessfully trying to arrange a meeting with Chief State Attorney Ivan Turudić, to whom he wants to present information about the lithium factory. "I publicly invite him to receive me so I can present him with data related to the lithium factory, because there is something rotten in the state of Denmark there too," Milinović stated.
Milinović emphasized that the key message of the expert assessment is that further pollution directly depends on the speed of remediation, which, in his interpretation, shifts responsibility to Prime Minister Andrej Plenković. "What is concerning is that in these 17 months, not a single kilogram of hazardous waste has been removed from the city of Gospić," he warned.
The estimated cost of remediation, around 100 million euros, should not be an obstacle, Milinović believes. "I think the Government and the ministry have no idea how and where to dispose of it. Is 100 million euros more valuable to them than the life of a Lika resident?" he asked, adding: "If there is no answer to that question, then it is time for early elections, and let the one who has the answer win-where, how, and in what way to protect the health of the people of Lika."
The Mayor supported the demands of the political parties Možemo and Most for maximum prison sentences for those responsible for illegal waste disposal. "I ask the State Attorney to take these criminal charges into procedure as soon as possible, because this is a matter of national interest," Milinović said, noting that a criminal complaint has also been filed against him, even though he was not serving as mayor or county prefect at the time of the disputed events.
Although he confirmed that the water in Gospić is currently safe for health and is regularly tested, Milinović directly attributed responsibility for a potential escalation of the situation to the Government and the relevant minister. "Citizens can be concerned about the spread of contamination and water, and the Government is responsible for that, including Minister Bačić, who took over this hot potato. We demand urgent remediation," he concluded.
