Rositsa Dimitrova and ex eco-minister Borislav Sandov has entered an oral dispute about the construction of Struma Highway related to Kresna Gorge. Dimitrova has posted on social media criticism against the lack of any actions during the past 7 months and Democratic Bulgaria has published a declaration connected to her words.
"I am grateful to the former minister Borislav Sandov and the colleagues from DB-Blagoevgrad for the fact that in a declaration dedicated to my post in the social media, finally paid attention to their own lack of action and at the same time, a malicious act related to the completion of the "Struma" Highway – a topic extremely important, both for the region and for the entire country.
The statement in question contains accusations that I am making against the public misleading information", announced Rositsa Dimitrova. She asked Sandov what he had done as Minister of Ecology on the topic of roads, and more specifically on the "Struma" highway project.
Here is what she wrote: "Why was the section that is ready not put into operation at all? Has any action been taken in this direction?Is it true that on the last day of your work as a minister, literally at "5 to 12" you have canceled all previous procedures under Impact Assessment on environment (EОA)? And if you realize with this your action, you give back the entire procedure at an exit point?
Do you know how many people lost their lives on one of the most critical sections in the country?
Here are some specifics:
The statement reiterated that the impact assessment report on the environment (EОA) has not been approved by the EC. You should be aware that the EC does NOT endorse these reports. They are approved by the MoEW, which was Your former ministry, Mr. Sandov. The only true thing about it is a claim that the EC requested that the determination methodology be applied of the specific environmental protection objectives in relation to the current EIA. That would be it would be quite possible if your ministry had done its job and had determined the objectives in question. The truth is, you made a big mess with two highly controversial decisions that will most likely be overturned by
court later. According to one, biodiversity measures should not be applied recommended and agreed by the EC in the Crescent Gorge because predetermined the choice of route. This is absolutely not true! Whatever option for the project to be implemented, apparently without your courtesy cooperation, nothing prevents us from taking care to protect the flora and the fauna of the gorge and that we have built passages and nets for the animals and their movement. I hope you understand that these measures would be good to be fulfilled, regardless of how and from where the route will pass. Even more, that European funds were allocated for these measures, but you stopped them.
According to the second decision, Mr. Sandov explained that it was not possible to build on the current EIA because it expired in October. You conveniently miss out here the option that if construction had started before October, the EIA would not expired.
The solutions that are so casually talked about in the declaration that they almost don't relating to the construction of the "Struma" highway are deeply untrue and false news. These solutions practically just stop the construction, because with the first one decision stopped the completion of 3 km to Simitli according to the approved EОA, which enables construction to enter the final stage. And the other decision halted possible environmental measures in the gorge.
And something very important - yes, the Struma highway is a priority for construction, and this shouldn't just be a GERБ priority, it should be an important project for any sane manager. One should think how it is possible to happen by observing all econorms, not how to water water and come up with options for this highway to never become a reality. You know that people themselves will judge who is wrong and who is right, and we will be judged by our actions and, accordingly, by our inactions."
