By: I. K. (Nova24tv)
Mayor Zoran Janković is incompetent and corrupt. “He is only exceptionally skilled at taking money from your pockets into his own,” believes Ljubljana city councillor Aleš Primc, who also pointed out that the mayor squandered a European project worth 111 million euros last year. “So much for an outstanding manager.”
Today, protesters gathered in front of the Ljubljana city hall, once again highlighting the unacceptable construction of Canal C0, now popularly referred to as the “Shitpipe”. At the beginning of the protest, the crowd sang the national anthem. Aleš Primc then addressed the gathering. He first gave the honour to the traffic warden, that no girl should go home without a flower – as today is Mother’s Day. “Thank you for everything, thank you for love, thank you for all you do for this world,” he thanked them.
He pointed out that even in the last month and twenty days, Janković had not completed his shitpipe. In this month and a half, something important happened: on March 1st and March 15th, the administrative court in Ljubljana issued a ruling that will enable a re-evaluation of environmental impacts! The Environmental Agency issued two rulings in 2015 and 2016 stating that no additional environmental impact assessment was necessary for Janković’s shitpipe. Thank God, the administrative court has issued judgments that will allow for a legal path to conducting environmental impact assessments.
Primc sees these two judgments as a great victory. Why? Judges know they are no longer alone in this country. Officials have feared Janković in recent years and said nothing could be done anyway. But now, with people gathering in front of the magistrate, judges also dared to protect drinking water.
Primc emphasised that Janković’s building permits were based precisely on the decision of ARSO from 2015 and 2016, and now that they have fallen, so will the building permits. The goal of preserving clean drinking water is thus, according to Primc, getting closer every day.
In January, Janković himself admitted to “arranging” a job for the daughter of the head of the administrative unit – he therefore believes that the Ljubljana administrative unit is not competent to decide on the so-called “shitpipe”, or they should decide.
Grims: In the land, the mafia rules
Among the visiting speakers, SDS deputy Branko Grims also addressed the audience. He, too, sincerely congratulated all women and mothers on Mother’s Day.
“When the leftist mafia reigns, we all miss winter because winter is the only season when the leftist has their hand in their own pocket,” he joked. Grims is convinced that the mafia rules in the land. Where the mafia is in power, there is omertà. Therefore, we do not hear anything about the things discussed in front of the city hall in the public media. According to him, everything happening around the “shitpipe” is about money – the “shitpipe” is being pushed through drinking water, so that someone will say that the technical conditions are met. “In reality, the people of Ljubljana are hostages of the greed for money. It is not about anything else. This must be firmly resisted.”
Grims is pleased that a new spring has recently come to Ljubljana, but he also warned that Golob just said in parliament that we should integrate illegal migrants into our society. He emphasised that the new spring, which recently occurred in Ljubljana (with the protest march against Golob), is also part of the fight for drinking water.
Janković is incompetent and corrupt
Primc said that the people of Ljubljana believe that Janković is corrupt but capable. However, the recent case suggests that he is incompetent and corrupt. “He is only exceptionally skilled at taking money from your pockets into his own,” he is convinced.
At the end of last year, he wasted a project worth 111 million euros from the EU – one part is the C0 canal, which runs through our clean water. Another part is the upgrade of the wastewater treatment plant in Zalog. The third part is the construction of 88 kilometres of sewage pipes through the streets of Ljubljana. By May of last year, Janković had only completed 40 kilometres of sewage pipes. This money was taken not only from the people of Ljubljana but from all Slovenians. “So much for the top-notch manager.”
First suspicions of criminal offenses
The next speaker was SDS MP Anja Bah Žibert. “We must stop Canal C0,” emphasised the chairwoman of the investigative commission on C0, adding that the construction of the sewage canal is not in the interest of the people of Ljubljana – “contaminating clean drinking water is not in anyone’s interest.” She urged people to come to the magistrate’s office to convince others as well that this canal needs to be stopped.
Bah Žibert explained that in the investigative commission, with a team of expert collaborators, they are fighting and after each new hearing, they are convinced that the project is dangerous. The worst thing that happened this week was that it did not seem important to the employee to ask the Ministry of Health about the sewerage through the aquifer, saying “she thought it was not necessary”. Also, no one at ARSO questioned whether this is harmful to health.
According to the chairwoman of the investigative commission, the Environmental Impact Assessment, and the Environmental Consent for Canal C0 are ESSENTIAL, and they will do everything to ensure that this happens.
“In the event that Canal C0 is not being built legally or if there are violations, the municipality must return the project – meaning Janković, not the state, as the mayor of Ljubljana likes to scare people.”
The first suspicions of criminal offenses have already been announced in the investigative commission when a municipal official “negotiated” with people for land, promising money if people gave up treatment at the Administrative Unit. “Will we allow a mayor to dispose of public money as he pleases?!”
Bah Žibert concluded that the people gathering in front of the magistrate’s office are the main motivation to fight for clean drinking water in the National Assembly.
Janković’s representative’s extortion
Then they played the already known recording of Janković’s representative, who was extorting people whose land runs through Canal C0 – a recording that is impossible to hear in the media. Finally, Primc invited all those who persist in front of the magistrate’s office to meet in the same place on April 22nd, 2024, hoping that by then Janković will not have managed to build the fatal part of Canal C0, which would forever spoil drinking water in Ljubljana.