Without an environmental permit and with the cancellation of the water permit. This was established by two entity ministries, in charge of the environment, water management and forestry in the case of stone exploitation in the area of northeastern Bosnia, in the vicinity of Srebrenik.
About 3,000 residents from 10 settlements in the Srebrenik area are also opposed to this. They claim that stone exploitation will threaten their property and drinking water.
The representatives of the authorities in this town also support them and say that the area where the stone will be exploited is located, according to the spatial plan of Srebrenik, in the water protection zone.
In that area is the Bistrica river, the only unpolluted and drinkable river from which about 200 locals are supplied.
One part includes about 25 hectares of state forest land, according to the Aarhus Center of Bosnia and Herzegovina(BiH), a non-governmental organization that provides legal support to citizens in the preservation and protection of the environment.
The five-year concession contract was awarded to the local company “ITK Music“.
In the middle of last year, the Government of Tuzla Canton (TC) awarded it a contract for a period of five years, it was confirmed by the Ministry of Economy of this canton, which includes Srebrenik.
What do the locals say?
The settlement of Krc is located right next to the meadow where the forest used to be. After it is cleared, the site is completely bare.
The locals state that apart from Krc, nine more settlements will be directly threatened if exploitation begins.
What do they say in the cantonal government?
The Government of TC said that the urban planning consent was issued based on the Spatial Plan for the area of TC for the period from 2005 to 2025, in which the location in the local community Spionica was identified as a potential research area, Slobodna Evropa reports.
E.Dz.
