Hemus Motorway has become a construction illusion in the last year and a half, said the Deputy Minister of Regional Development and Public Works arch. Ivan Shishkov. According to him, the state was the biggest violator of the Spatial Planning Act. He commented:
“It creates an illusion of how it is built, how important it is. It is really very important, but from something that should really be a priority of the state, it becomes a construction illusion. I imagined that the whole highway was being built. I can’t imagine why the whole highway is not planned, why the whole is not expropriated, why it has not received a building permit and to build in lots, but to have a procedure for all this.”
The Deputy Minister was adamant that for the 4th lot there is a decision of the Council of Ministers for expropriation. According to him, the procedures for this are being completed, but for the 5th lot decisions are to be submitted to the Council of Ministers for expropriation. He clarified that complaints had been received about destroyed forest areas due to the construction of the highway. The architect also specified for the state company „Motorways“:
“An artificial problem has been created because Motorways does not have the resources to build. However, it does not make contracts for subcontractors for construction, but makes contracts related to the supply of materials and construction equipment. In the end, it will turn out that the state company is to blame and all the damage will remain in the state. Some companies will get their money because they will supply materials, some companies will get their money because they have supplied construction equipment, and in the end the quality and poor quality of construction will remain in Motorways.”
The Deputy Minister stated that the previous rulers from GERB have distributed money for the Hemus Motorway in the future, even in places where it is not known where the route will pass. According to him, at the moment there is complete legal chaos with the documentation of the highway. Ivan Shishkov clarified that it is important for the Ministry of Regional Development and Public Works to make an analysis, not a revision of what is being built, in order to be able to continue and add:
“Obviously, the construction of Hemus was an extraordinary manipulation. We want to say that this, this, this and this has been done illegally, we will solve this with extraordinary measures and we will propose it legally to the next National Assembly. So that we can continue legally.”
The Deputy Minister stressed that for the three lots of Hemus Motorway, which have an approved Detailed Development Plan, everything possible will be done to obtain a construction permit in order to start their construction legally. He added:
“The next government will have to decide how to build it, because this is a political decision, as well as what it will do with the Motorways company. We continue to document what has been missed in time. We want to leave to the next regular cabinet an almost completed procedure for construction from the 4th to the 6th lot and a clear route from the 7th to the 9th lot, so that it can continue. It is clear that the Hemus Motorway will not be completed until 2024.”
