EcoLur
The official website of the Nature Protection Ministry, www.mnp.am, informs that the documentation package on the project of developing Tezhsar nepheline-syenite mine has been sent for refinement. Starting from May 2011 “Alumina Corporation” Company has been persevering in its intention to get the positive opinion of the environmental expertise. The society protests against this extremely hazardous project, while Nature Protection Ministry several times has recognized the documentation package incomplete instead of turning down the project.
“Healthy Hrazdan” civic initiative group member Movses Manukyan expresses his opinion about what it’s going on. “After each public hearings “Healthy Hrazdan” civic initiative takes minutes, as during the hearings there is no person to take minutes. Minutes are not drawn up at all and the public hearings were held to observe formalities. We sent the proposals and remarks to the Ministry and received its reply, “Our opinion will be taken into consideration in the course of the expertise”. All this happens in the case, when we wrote, that the hearings can’t be recognized as held. From private conversations I managed to find out that this company took the studies of the 70’s and added the ore-dressing plant, i.e. another step done to destroy nature. We even don’t know who the real owner is. One modest person comes, the director, listens to us and says nothing. His driver came to the first public hearings. The project developers also don’t know who the owner is. They were paid to do the project. I think somebody wants to pass the documentation through the official procedures, to get the permit and to sell the package at an auction. Reminder: the works of Tezhsar mine development were launched still in the Soviet period. More than 120 million rubles were spent (about 170 million petroleum dollars). Nevertheless, it was recognized that as a result of the project, the nature of unique zone of resort (Meghradzor-Hanqavan) will be destroyed in a radius of 20-30 km and the project was suspended.
January 29, 2013 at 17:53