In Sochi, public hearings on depriving 28 natural monuments of status of protected areas declared invalid

In Sochi, members of public organizations and political parties have declared the illegitimacy of the chairman of the commission on public hearings and the unreasonableness of the very project. Initiators of the public hearings have recognized the arguments reasonable and declared the public hearings invalid. Let us remind you that the public hearings held on November 25 were to consider the issue to deprive 28 natural monuments of their status of specially protected natural territories.

Despite the fact that the public hearing did not take place officially, the audience was addressed by the leaders of parties, movements and public organizations.

Olga Kozinskaya, Chair of the public institution "Urban Planning Board of Sochi", spoke against depriving the natural monuments of their status of protected territories. According to her, otherwise, that would allow dishonest businessmen and officials bargaining away and embezzling natural resources of Sochi without considering the opinion of the majority.

Yuri Dzaganiya, the leader of the local branch of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation (CPRF), has also delivered the speech of protest. He has said that he studied in details the unique areas, which the authorities wanted to deprive of the status of specially protected territories. "Since we are aware of the attitude of the power of capital to the nature, we can be sure that their actions will result in destruction of the natural monuments," Yuri Dzaganiya has stated.