The Ministry of Environmental Protection, Physical Planning and Construction said on Wednesday the protest held in front of the ministry today once again showed that the protesters did not know who was authorised to make decisions on physical planning and that they were protesting at the wrong address.
Some 600 activists of the Green Action and Right to the City NGOs and citizens comprising the Human Shield for Varsavska Street group protested in front of the ministry, submitting individual reports calling for the annulment of a plan for redesigning a block near Cvjetni Trg square in downtown Zagreb which they hold is contrary to the capital's urban plan and the law.
They protested because after two years the ministry has still not responded to such a complaint filed by the NGOs, which they claim provided for unlawful activities, the realisation of Hoto group's Cvjetni project and the devastation of the pedestrian zone in Varsavska Street.
Right to the City coordinator Teodor Celakoski said they expected the government and Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor to take the side of legality, to ensure legality in the inspection of the project and annul the plan for redesigning the block.
The ministry adopts laws regulating in principle physical planning and the procedure for the adoption of physical plans, while municipalities, cities and counties adopt the plans, the ministry said in a press release.
The City of Zagreb has been stating for years that it supports the project in Cvjetni Trg square and that the government could neither support nor not support the project, but only establish if the law was respected in the adoption of decisions, the ministry said.
The ministry cancelled some building permits regarding the project several times until the irregularities that had been noted were corrected, which shows that the ministry took a position within its powers and did not keep silent, the press release said.
The Zagreb City Assembly voted in physical plans providing for the project in Cvjetni Trg square, the ministry said, adding that competent city offices issued building permits and that construction work began in mid-2008.
The ministry will deal with any complaint regarding this or any other project within its powers, but does not want to nor can it adopt decisions, instead of the city's elected executive and representative bodies, on which development and other projects will be carried out in Zagreb or on who will arbitrate in the matter, the press release said.
Zagreb police spokesperson Aleksandra Ljuba said about 100 citizens protested in front of the ministry and that there was no public disturbance.
