2024-07-15 16:46:26
“I assess it very negatively. From the beginning, only the Deputy Minister participates in all meetings. This shows that the issue is irrelevant and not a priority for the minister. He has other activities”, said T. Bartkus to Eltai after the meeting with representatives of the ministry.
“The minister only comments, but he does not come to the place, meet the residents and dispel doubts at the ministerial level,” he added.
According to the mayor, the questions raised by him and community members during the meeting were not answered.
“Many of our questions were not answered, we remain with the same questions. The main one is why there was no communication and meeting with the public, and when the decisions were already made in the State Defense Council (VGT) and the Government, then they came to meet the public and presented. It should have happened earlier”, emphasized T. Bartkus.
“Can these discussions still lead to something, change something, or is it just putting on a plus that we came and met with the public?” Then, in the public space, they will be able to say that everything has been delivered,” he taught.
T. Bartkus also had questions about the status of the planned training ground. According to him, if the latter were intended for shooting, residents in the surrounding areas would not be able to pick mushrooms, berries or hunt.
“The fundamental question was about the status of the training ground. Will it be infantry and non-shooting? After the law was passed in the Seimas, the polygon statute is not written anywhere, and freedom is left to the Ministry of Interior. If after some time it becomes a shooting range, it will not be acceptable to the public,” said the mayor.
According to him, the representatives of the ministry could not answer questions about the area of the polygon and what percentage of the forest in that area is planned to be cut down.
The mayor of Tauragė district requests that the purpose of the polygon be defined by legal acts
While the representatives of the army and the Ministry of Interior promised that the purpose of the training ground would be only for maneuvering, Tauragė district mayor Dovydas Kaminskas assured that these plans should be defined in legal acts. According to him, this would provide residents with a certain safeguard that they will be able to visit the territory of the polygon.
“KAM and the army say that there will only be a maneuvering range, without deforestation. The main interest is that everything that is communicated should be included in the legal act. It seems to me that this is a logical enough requirement”, said D. Kaminskas to Eltai.
“The maximum percentage of forests that will be cut down should be indicated. Also, what is the light maneuvering range, what activities will take place there. The third thing is the activity of hunters, whether those opportunities will be foreseen and how that process should take place. All provided fuses, if they were to be changed, should be coordinated with the municipality of Tauragė district”, he emphasized.
ELTA reminds that the Government approved the draft laws submitted to the Ministry of Interior, which envisage the establishment of military training grounds in Tauragė and Šilalė districts. Now the issue will be raised in the Seimas.
In order to ensure the smooth establishment of polygons and their efficient use, it is proposed to recognize the construction as a project of special importance and to provide legal regulation that accelerates the creation of the necessary infrastructure.
Approximately 4.3 thousand houses should be built in Tauragė district. hectare polygon. At that time, in Šilalė district – a little higher than 2.6 thousand. hectares of area.
It is announced that the training grounds will not be completely closed military territory, they will not have shooting ranges, and heavy military equipment will not be used.
2024-07-15 16:46:26