- The confiscation of my property can, in no way, comply with the law.

These days, the General Urban Plan for the city of Novi Sad is on public display and inspection, and its citizens have the right to give their remarks until February 5, which will be summarized after the expiration of that deadline.

The new General Urban Plan envisages, among other things, for the existing bus station, located in the very centre of the City, to be expanded to accommodate the growing bus transport. It is not specified how much it will contribute to pollution and traffic jams, although the Study done by the Faculty of Transportation from Belgrade and Novi Sad Urbanism department warned about it back in 2006, which indicated that by moving the station to a new location, 3,000 vehicles are to be moved from the city centre.

That was also the reason for moving the plot of ATP "Vojvodina", by the then General Urban Plan. It was built there, but it never worked, because the City did not fulfil its obligations from the General Urban Plan, nor those from the contract concluded in accordance with the GUP, and have not moved the traffic to that location.
At the suggestion of the GUP, one of the most modern bus stations with complete infrastructure is planned to become the parking lot for buses. This means that the City did not recognize the building and exploitation permits it had previously issued, because they had been issued for the bus station and not to the parking spaces.pdf

The new planning document does not answer the question as to why the City intends to enter into a large investment in the expansion of the bus station complex, when only 700m from the centre there is an already built station that does not need any expansion.

Let's remember, I bought ATP "Vojvodina" in 2004. In the first year I fulfilled the investment plan, in addition to the existing 300, I hired another 200 workers, bought 30 new buses and expanded the list of activities without receiving a single dinar of state subsidies. I brought the "Setra" and "Mercedes" dealerships to that company, and not to my home company, which was more valuable in business terms than the entire ATP "Vojvodina" company at that time.

But, ATP "Vojvodina" also developed further. I have signed a contract with the City on the basis of planning documents and I have built a new intercity and international bus station, which is still one of the most modern in this part of Europe. The service shop for "Setra" and "Mercedes" buses have been built as well, all according to their required project documentation.

But all that was not enough, the City simply did not want to fulfil its obligations and the company went in receivership at the end of 2008, which is still underway.

The chronology of how one of the most promising investments in Novi Sad was destroyed indicates how someone intended to take over my business plan using state and city institutions.

The classic confiscation is now continuing with the sale of property in proceedings full of illegality, which, with the proposal of the GUP as it was made public, does not guarantee the new owner (if he remains the owner) that he will be able to continue doing what he intended to do – to turn it into a plot for the display of agricultural machinery.

It is obvious that the process of seizing my property and business plan continues through this planning document, and that it has probably already been determined who among the people close to the current government might be involved in this business.

Respectfully,

Ilija Dević, Investor of the company ATP “Vojvodina“