The Committee on Environmental Policy, Use of Natural Resources and Chornobyl Aftermath Mitigation does not uphold the draft law to amend several legislative acts in regard to ensuring public access to coastal shelterbelts and water, as well as strengthening responsibility for unauthorized occupation of land, including in these areas
11 March 2013, 14:33
It was noted that the bill (Reg. No. 2362) aims at strengthening administrative and criminal responsibility for violating the requirements of environmental and land legislation, state control over observance of environmental legislation of Ukraine and ensuring public access to coastal shelterbelts and water.
Committee members supported the necessity to strengthen responsibility for violating legislation in the sphere of environmental protection and believe that adoption of the bill will increase effectiveness of execution of state control in the sphere of environmental protection.
Thereat, people’s deputies expressed remarks regarding the suggested amendments to the article 88 of the Water Code of Ukraine. It was noted that widening of the coastal shelterbelts by one meter, depending on the steepness of the slope, requires expert analysis and calculation, for it can spread to the territory of the existing buildings, particularly, populated areas and especially in the highlands.
People’s deputies believe that the suggested amendments narrow citizens’ right to general water use.
By result of discussion, people’s deputies supported the feasibility of “making amendments to the articles of the Water Code a separate bill, for it is a fundamental legislative act that regulates issues of protection, use and reproduction of water resources which shall secure complex and well-balanced approach to settling the issue of use of bodies of water and water fund lands”.