Brno - The Office of the Ombudsman has sharply criticized the Liberec Region authorities for breaching the law when preparing the ski championship that is to take place next year in Liberec.
Ombudsman Otakar Motejl presented a number of cases when the law was gravely violated during the construction works in the Ještěd Ski Area in nothern Bohemia. He bashed the authorities for failing to demand the observance of regulations from the construction companies.
Motejl says the authorities did not proceed in accordance with the environmental impact evaluation laws and the Forest Act.
He intends to inform the MP's about the detected misconduct of the Liberec Region Authorities.
Don't beg off
"The authorities proceeded contrary to the principles of good administration," Office of the Ombudsman Spokesperson Iva Hrazdílková said. Allegedly, the Ombudsman cannot accept the apology from authorities saying that they were deciding in stress, trying to meet the investor's desire to modernize and extend the area so that the championship can take place.
Otakar Motejl also says that authorities should finally learn that a good idea and money is not enough. "There are rules whose purpose is to protect the society and nature and which must be respected no matter how noble the idea is," he stated.
In his opinion, the reconstructing of the Ještěd Ski Area was a huge project that should have undergone the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) process.
This however did not happen as the whole project was divided into several smaller parts and the EIA process was not carried out. And the Liberec Regional Office approved this.
"The Regional Office said the reason was the length of the EIA process especially in relation to the preparation of the area for the World Championship," Motejl said.
Illegal building permit
The law was violated also with issuing the building permit. Motejl says that in the case of the construction of Pláně-Skalka Ski-tow and Skalka Cableway, the permit was issued without the previous approval of the State Forest Administration.
"Such a proceeding is illegal as the Forest Administration's verdict, in fact, conditions the use of the forest land for the project," Motejl stated.
Thus, forest area of some 12,000 square metres was used illegally.
A benevolent Regional Office
The Regional Office decided that the building permit was issued illegally but nevertheless, the Forest Administration, says Motejl, would not block the construction as the investor acted in good faith and the damage caused to the forest and environment was not significant.
However, the authorities will not more than likely bear responsibility for breaching the law. The issued permits are valid and according to Motejl, they can no longer be examined so that he completed the investigation.
"Due to the seriousness of his findings, he will inform the Lower House," Hrazdílková said.
The Liberec Regional Office has not yet commented on Motejl's report, as it is preparing the answer at the moment.
Because of the ski world championship that will take place in Liberec in February and March 2009, 21 projects worth more than CZK 660 million have been or are being completed in Ještěd.
The city of Liberec was the investor. Among the largest constructions is a CZK 134 million building with facilities, the reconstruction of ski jumps worth CZK 94 million or a parking house worth more than CZK 75 million.
The cableway and ski-tow to Skalka, however, were not included in the project. This was an investment of Snowhill which runs the Ještěd area.
Last year, the Environmental Inspection imposed a CZK 800,000 fine on the company for illegal logging.
