site.btaEnvironmentalists Blow Whistle about Resumed Chairlift Construction in Pirin National Park

Environmentalists Blow Whistle about Resumed Chairlift Construction in Pirin National Park

Sofia, August 11 (BTA) - For the Nature coalition of NGOs and
civic organizations reported on its Internet site on Tuesday
that a new six-pack chairlift is going under construction "at a
rapid pace" in the Rila National Park (Southwestern Bulgaria) to
 replace the existing Todorka triple chairlift. "What is
scandalous in this case is that the start of construction was
rushed despite the lack of authorization from the Environment
Ministry to broaden the chairlift clearing by felling
centuries-old trees and despite an ongoing check by the Supreme
Administrative Prosecution Office into the case," the
environmentalists say.

They refer to checks launched by the Sofia City Prosecution
Office, the Blagoevgrad District Prosecution Office and the
Supreme Administrative Prosecution Office after the Association
of Parks in Bulgaria appealed before the Supreme Administrative
Court a decision of the Ministry of Environment and Water that
carrying out an assessment of compatibility with the special
areas of conservation/special protection areas and an
environmental impact assessment was unnecessary for this
development proposal.

The Environment and Water Ministry will not authorize the
felling of trees in the Pirin National Park before the
prosecution offices' checks are completed, the Ministry said in
a press release on Tuesday, reacting to an alert by the For the
Nature coalition that trees are being marked for felling within
the clearing for the new chairlift. In 2014, then Environment
Minister Stanislav Anastasov determined that there was no
problem with the trees because there were plans to fell only 88
white pines and spruces that had sprouted along the derelict
chairlift route. Pictures taken by environmentalists now,
however, show that large trees are being earmarked for felling,
including a spruce that is an estimated 100 years old.

For the Nature also argue that the works launched by the Marengo
 Trading Company (which they allege is an offshore company
linked to the Bansko ski area concessionaire Ulen) breach the
concession agreement between the Environment Ministry and Ulen.
"The latest in a series of checks, ordered by Prime Minister
Boyko Borissov in early 2015, has yet to come up with
conclusions and proposals for addressing the problems with the
portion of the park used by Ulen for the needs of the ski area,"
 the coalition pointed out.

Reacting to the environmentalists' alert, the Ministry of
Regional Development and Public Works said in a press release
that the works in the Pirin National Park concern "redevelopment
 of a 25-year-old facility without a change of the route within
the existing servitude strip". (For the Nature insist that the
servitude strip used for the construction and installation works
 now is 3.4 hectares, or double the 1.93 hectare servitude strip
 under the concession agreement). "An ex officio check conducted
 by the National Construction Control Directorate found that the
 project is compatible with the Pirin Park Management Plan and
with the effective spatial development plan," the Ministry said.