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Greenpeace Goes to Court to Undermine Sochi’s Olympic Bid
The Russian Supreme Court convened on Monday for the first hearing of Greenpeace Russia’s claim to invalidate the federal development program for the city of Sochi. The environmentalists say the plan has been adopted without an ecological examination and, therefore, bears no legal force. Despite earlier statements from the government that environmentalists will have their vote in the implementation of the program, Greenpeace presses for the cause, saying only a court decision is able to put a halt to the murky construction in Sochi.
Experts at Greenpeace believe that development in Sochi, which bids to host the 2014 Olympic Games, violates environmental law. The federal city development program (till 2014) was adopted last June without the compulsory state environmental examination. By October, when the plan was finally examined for ecological issues, construction sites had already sprawled, Greenpeace notes. The environmentalists protest against development in the Sochi National Park saying that would-be ski resort and railway road will damage the environment irreparably.
WWF’s Moscow director Igor Chestin sent a letter to Russian President in mid-February, ahead of the visit of the Olympic evaluation committee, warning that the development program has the sole aim of profit making.
In a response to the letter Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Zhukov set up a working group to hold an environmental examination in the area within two months.
Greenpeace is skeptical of this initiative and calls it “just another committee” that will not solve the problem. A court ruling, however, will be the solid ground for a repeat examination and will put a halt to the program, the environmentalists say.
The next court session is scheduled for March 15.
www.kommersant.com
All the Article in Russian as of Mar. 06, 2007
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