A citizen reported to the Iskra.bg team that a blue zone had been drawn on Smokinya beach in Sozopol, and a company was issuing receipts for parking in the area.
At the beginning of the marking there are also signs indicating that cars are forcibly transported by a technical device of the „spider“ type, as well as that there is a TAXI and a third parking sign for BGN 10 per day.
The road on which the blue marking is placed is municipal public property and a private company /registered in January 2024/ issues a receipt for the paid stay of the vehicles.
The company is owned by public figure Todor Valchev, nicknamed the Banichkata, and Iskra. bg cannot claim whether he himself outlined the terrain as a blue zone, or only collected a fee. However, there are responsible institutions that should establish this.
According to the sender of the report, all this activity is illegal and that is why Iskra.bg sent the following questions to the Municipality of Sozopol:
- Is the Municipality of Sozopol aware of the activity carried out /collection of parking fees/ by the private company? If it is aware, why does the Municipality not carry out this activity itself, but has given the private company the activity, respectively the revenues from the activity?
- Was the decision to give the activity to a private company voted by the City Council or is the Municipality entitled by law to give this activity itself. Has there been an auction/competition and how many bidders participated?
- On what legal basis does a private company collect fees in a public municipal territory, i.e. a road and a road banquet?
- Is there a valid contract between the Municipality of Sozopol and the private company that collects the fees and/or any other document that legally grants the private company to collect fees in municipal territory? Please provide me with this document if available.
- Has the Municipality leased only the land (i.e. the road) to the company or also the right for the company to collect the fees?
- Is there a decision of the Municipality or the Municipal Council to put a blue marking on the road and a sign that is municipal property. If there is no solution, do you know who put up the marking and sign? If there is a solution, please provide me with the documents.
On the basis of our questions, Sozopol Municipality answered firmly that it is not informed about the commercial activity on Smokinya beach. The local government did not grant or assign to third parties permission for the commercial activity in question.
It is also clear from the answers that the section in question was part of the blue zone of Sozopol last year by decision of the previous Municipal Council, but the section was remote and there was no good internet access. Therefore, starting this season, the Municipality has removed all blue markings, as well as signs and payment devices.
The Municipality of Sozopol thanks Iskra.bg for the submitted report, after which timely and adequate actions were taken by the local government.
Thus, the activity of the self-imposed person was terminated and free access was ensured in the area in question for this summer season.
