Ivan Baloha belives that the destruction of Narodna Square is a crime against Transcarpathians

The troubles on Narodna Square have been continuing since the last week. It’s fate worried the public, who began protecting it from attempts to change its original appearance.  On Saturday, Transcarpathian police resorted to extreme measures – the activists were forcibly taken away from the square.  The Chairman of the Transcarpathian Regional Council Ivan Baloha commented on the events on Narodna Square.

"Regional authorities began to destroy Narodna Square. Neither objections of the deputies of the regional council, who did not approve the allocation of funds for the reconstruction, nor the protests of activists and journalists, nor the opinion of ​​leading architects and art historians – nothing has changed the stance of the regional administration.  All that was ignored for the sake of one goal – to satisfy unhealthy ambitions of the Governor. The fact that Narodna square was destroyed by heavy machinery the last Sunday, while people were praying in churches, and priests of all denominations were holding festive prayer service dedicated to the 1120th anniversary of the city, is the evidemce of fear and treachery of the authorities.

I want to remind that on March 21, the majority of Transcarpathian Regional Council members rejected the amendments whereby the Regional State Administration officials proposed to allocate from the regional budget over three million hryvnias for the reconstruction of Narodna Square. The deputies said a clear "no" to the Governor with his idea of destruction of the square.  In April, architects, art historians, artists formed at the regional council the advisory council on the preservation of cultural and architectural heritage. They adopted a resolution to the regional administration and Uzhgorod city management to stop any steps on the reconstruction of Narodna Square. They also noted that by the decision of the Executive Committee of the Regional Council dd. February 5, 1980, Narodna Square was listed among monuments of urban planning and architecture and was protected by the state.

However, the authorities acted without regard for anything – post hoc the community learned about the tender, which was won by the company that had not won any tender before.

Do they have right to carry out works on Narodna Square? No. The square is owned by the city of Uzhgorod, and only the city community may approve any works. Regional deputies have not allocated the money. Instead, the government illegally transferred to their company one million hryvnias from the regional budget for the destruction of the square.

Today, we can we see determined actions of the community, who defend Narodna Square. People want to leave the Czech building block in the same condition that it was left in by the Czech architects. One person in the region has no right to decide what can be destroyed in Transcarpathia. At a time when Transcarpathian region is among five regions of the country with the lowest indicators of socio-economic development, when schools and hospitals are closed, to provide millions from Transcarpathians’ pockets and to destroy Narodna Square is a crime against the community" – Ivan Baloha summed up.

Source: Press Service of the Transcarpathian Regional Council