The operations of public utility company JKP Mladenovac are grounded in financial stability, prudent and transparent use of money, dedication, initiative, inventiveness, and industrious workers and responsible managers who pursue the goals set
Judging on the basis of the appearance of the town’s streets today, but also rural roads covering the territory of the municipality; judging by the quality of the water supply, the dynamics of waste collection and the realisation of all works under the jurisdiction of this public utility company, the residents of Mladenovac have plenty of reasons to be satisfied.
A stable supply of potable water, unobstructed drainage of wastewater and a cleaner town – that’s how Vladeta Lučić defined his vision and goal upon being appointed director of JKP “Mladenovac” just over five years ago. He knew that he wouldn’t be able to realise any of that without financial stability, the prudent and transparent use of money, accountability for every move and every decision, dedication, initiative, inventiveness and hard-working colleagues.
However, thanks to the fact that he’d spent the previous 12 years working in various positions at JKP “Mladenovac”, Mr Lučić has – as he himself notes – clear insight into what wasn’t working. Having worked as a design and supervision engineer, head of the Maintenance Service, director of the ‘Water and Sewerage’ Sector and deputy general director, he was able to see where changes were needed and what kind. This led to improvements in the organisation of work, greater staff discipline and a more prudent attitude towards citizens’ money.
Two new vehicles – a refuse collection vehicle bought as a donation from the Government of Japan and a tanker truck purchased from the company’s own funds – have eased work for employees and improved the quality of services
Judging on the basis of the appearance of the town’s streets today, but also rural roads covering the territory of the municipality; judging by the quality of the water supply, the dynamics of waste collection and the realisation of all works under the jurisdiction of this public utility company, it would seem that the director’s vision has been realised. However, despite these positive results, Mr Lučić and his colleagues want everything to be even better, which is why they invest a lot of energy and exert a lot of effort to modernise the equipment and machinery. They don’t sit idly on their hands and wait for money to come from the budgets of the municipality, the town or the republic, rather they try to secure everything they require to do their work on their own, with their own funds earned from providing services under the scope of their core activity and through participation in various projects.
As such, last summer – according to official information and the financial report – they used their own funds to purchase a new Iveco tanker truck with a capacity of 8,000 litres of water, which is installed with the appropriate equipment, from a pump to a water sprayer. This vehicle is used to a great extent by the workers of JKP “Mladenovac” for the transportation of drinking water to citizens, as well as for maintaining hygiene and washing streets.
And it was just a year and a half ago that the Government of Japan donated 62,345 euros for the purchase of an Iveco combined refuse collection vehicle. This vehicle has a volume of seven cubic metres and is used to collect waste in narrow streets that can’t be accessed by large 16-tonne trucks. It is thanks to this vehicle that the quality of household waste removal services have improved, but also the working conditions of workers employed in the cleaning sector. It is also important to note that JKP “Mladenovac” applied independently for this donation, among 12 local organisations that were included in the project to improve the natural environment in the Republic of Serbia.