| The demolition of cottages on the banks of the Istra Reservoir did not take place again An attempt by the Ministry of Natural Resources to organize a demonstration demolition of elite cottages in the protective zone of the Istra reservoir ended in another farce. Deputy head of the federal service for environmental supervision Oleg Mitvol, known for his tough attitude towards violations of environmental legislation, yesterday led an entire column of construction equipment designed to restore constitutional order on a separate bank of the reservoir near the village of Pyatnitsa. However, while Mr. Mitvol, like Lenin from an armored car, called on tractor drivers to “defend the interests of the state,” the path of heavy equipment was blocked by their inhabitants pouring out of the cottages. The people, dressed in the uniform of the Solnechnogorsk District Department of Internal Affairs, remained silent, so the official, armed only with a court decision, ingloriously lost the battle with his fellow citizens.
“Twenty people with children came out to meet the technology! They practically fell under the wheels of tractors and excavators! And the police stood aside and smoked!” - Mr. Mitvol justified himself, according to whom the demolition of cottages built in violation of environmental legislation, scheduled for February 28, did not take place solely due to the inaction of law enforcement agencies. The official has no doubt that he is right. “People must understand that the law does not allow construction in these areas. This is as obvious as you can’t drive stolen cars,” Mr. Mitvol fumed.
However, for the residents of the Ekaterininskie Vali holiday village, which was almost demolished by Mr. Mitvol, everything is not at all so obvious. The reason for the demolition was the lack of an environmental assessment for construction by the owners of the houses built on the banks of the Istra Reservoir. However, according to the summer residents themselves, the law on mandatory examination came into force only in 1995, while cottages were built back in 1991 in full compliance with the then legislation. Therefore, residents of the Istra coast intend to appeal the court decision, which Oleg Mitvol demonstrated yesterday, to higher authorities. They suspect Mr. Mitvol himself of attempting to redistribute property by order of anonymous oligarchs.
However, the official is not going to give up his plans. According to Oleg Mitvol, the bailiffs only postponed the demolition of the village for ten days. “No one is going to put pressure on people. But I have no doubt that the court’s decision will still be executed in the first half of March,” said the deputy head of the Federal Service for Environmental Supervision.
It is difficult to predict how this confrontation will end, since an irreconcilable fighter for the rule of law still sometimes demonstrates understandable flexibility in relations with some violators of the Water Code of the Russian Federation. If the residents of the village of Pyatnitsa managed to delay the demolition for only ten days, then another well-known violator of environmental legislation is Russian citizen Alla Pugacheva, who was noticed to own a certain building (according to documents - a bathhouse, according to her own statement - a summer house ) near the coastline, agreed to postpone enforcement proceedings until June. And even then, judging by Mr. Mitvol’s words, the People’s Artist can comply with the letter of the law, which requires that there be at least 55 meters from the coastline to the building, in two ways - either by moving the bathhouse, or by filling the shore of the reservoir with soil. Alexander GUDKOV |
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