Moscow-St. Petersburg motorway under investigation
The Movement to Defend Khimki Forest succeeded in urging authorities to further investigate illegal logging and the role of the main contractor.
The prosecutor's office of the Khimki city fully satisfied the complaint of the Movement to Defend Khimki Forest and urged the Department of Internal Affairs of Khimki to further investigate the illegal logging of the forest and the role of the general contractor “Production association DorInzhStroyProject” Ltd. and its CEO Mr. Semchenko in it.
Earlier, the Department of Internal Affairs dismissed the case against Mr. Semchenko “in the absence of any illegal actions” – despite the clear demand of the legislation for the need of special permissions to cut down any trees in City District of Khimki and Moscow Region as a whole.
The “Production association DorInzhStroyProject” Ltd. (formerly “Production association Teplotechnik” Ltd.) has been cutting trees in the Khimki forest in the years 2010-2011 – preparing the land for construction of the Moscow-St.Petersburg motorway - without any documented permission for this. Till now any attempts to sue the company have been unsuccessful: the judges have been always refusing to consider the case, inventing different excuses.
The CEO Mr. Semchenko has also been involved in organizing actions, aimed at intimidating environmental activists. In July, 2010 he hired several dozens of men, who insulted the activists in the forest camp and threatened to beat them up, in order to get rid of the camp. The workers of the hired security firm “Vitjaz” have many times harmed activists in the conflicts in the forest.
The copy of the prosecutor's office decision can be found on http://pics.livejournal.com/princip1/pic/0005yehq.
