Prosecutor's Office returns 19 land plots into Stavropol forest fund

The Prosecutor's Office of the Stavropol Territory has returned 19 land plots back to the forest fund of Stavropol; now, about 400,000 trees will be planted there. According to the Office, the administration of the city had illegally granted the plots to individuals and legal entities.

"In total, for the period of 2007-2011, we revealed 226 violations of forest and land legislation committed by the administration of Stavropol in granting land for construction. At present, 19 land plots with the total area of 39 hectares were returned to the city forest fund; and instead of lost forests we formed 14 forest sections with the total area of 203 hectares," the Prosecutor's Office of the Territory said on February 24.

Evgeniy Kotov, the head of the legal defence of the urban development committee of the Stavropol city administration, agrees with the demands of the Prosecutor's Office.

"The only problem was that by that time the city forests did not stand in the land cadastre; and it was impossible to define the area of city forests, and where forests began and land of dwelling settlements ended. Because of this, decisions to allocate those land plots became possible. The city did not know the boundary of city forests," the RIA "Novosti" quotes Mr Kotov as saying.