Prosecutor's office obliges Pyatigorsk developer to pay replacement fee for trees cut down on Mount Mashuk

Cutting down of greenery on the land plot, located on the western slope of Mount Mashuk, in the area of Kuchura Street of the city of Pyatigorsk, was committed in violation of applicable environmental legislation. This was revealed by the inspection conducted by the Stavropol Interdistrict Environmental Prosecutor's Office. The developer states that the problems with the legislation have been already settled, the city authorities promise that cut down trees will be restored by this April.

The inspection of the Environmental Prosecutor's Office, which was conducted at the request of the Prosecutor of the Stavropol Territory, revealed that the violations on the land plot with total area of 52,909 square meters, located on the western slope of Mount Mashuk within the second zone of sanitary protection of Pyatigorsk mineral water accumulation, had been committed by Limited Liability Company (LLC) "Kavzhilstroi".

The violations of the environmental legislation included the fact that cutting down of trees was committed in the absence of the positive opinion of the state environmental expertise and permission of the Commission for the protection of green areas of the city administration of Pyatigorsk, and without prepayment of replacement cost for removal of greenery.

The Prosecutor's Office decided to stop construction work and cutting down of trees on the land plot until the above opinions would be obtained and ordered the LLC "Kavzhilstroi" to pay the replacement cost of 162 trees and 83 shrubs, which were cut down, in the amount of 350,750 roubles. With those funds, the Municipal Unitary Enterprise "Gorzelenstroi" of the city of Pyatigorsk should conduct works for rehabilitation of green areas in the city till April 1.

The General Director of the LLC "Kavzhilstroi" was presented the prescription to eliminate the violations of the environmental legislation; as a result of its consideration, two staff members of the company were brought to disciplinary responsibility. This was reported by the message on the website of the Prosecutor's Office of the Stavropol Territory.

The LLC "Kavzhilstroi" claims that the problems with the legislation have been already settled.

"We got the permission to cut down 162 trees, and we shall plant 1267 trees. We paid to the city 350,000 roubles," said Maria Shipacheva, Chief of the Planning and Technical Division of the company.

The Pyatigorsk administration confirmed receipt of money from the "Kavzhilstroi" company for rehabilitation of the green areas. According to the city administration, when the warm weather comes, the planting of trees will be started and it should be completed by April 1, the GTRK (State TV and Radio Channel) "Stavropolye" reports.