People living nearby “Alunelul” park protest against a construction built in the middle of the park

A group of people living nearby “Alunelul” park located in Buiucani district in Chisinau protested on Saturday, January 27 against the construction of a building in the middle of the park. The City Hall allotted previously 0.08 ha of park’s territory for the construction of an amusement and rest centre for children. Several months ago when the construction started, the inhabitants of the apartment blocks nearby the park, as well as the Chisinau Ecologic Agency, Association and Congress of Jews of Moldova submitted several petitions to the City Hall, by means of which they expressed their disapproval regarding the construction works. People were displeased with the fact that the already reduced area of the park is used for several constructions. Moreover, they claim that the edifices are built on the territory of the Jew Cemetery and as a result human remains are excavated. Also, the protesters are sceptical about the fact that the construction will really be used for the amusement of children, claiming that the construction will be a centre for night parties. In October 2006, the City Hall ordered to cancel the construction authorisations of the building after the inhabitants and the aforementioned organisations submitted their petitions and because the beneficiary of the works, individual enterprise “Maslitki E.” did not stop the works and did not announce authorities, although it was obliged to do so in case it found archaeological vestiges, foundations, cut stones or bones. The construction works continued after the beneficiary obtained through the Court of Appeals a decision that cancelled the decision of the City Hall. Police Deputy Commissioner Rodion Budenau, ordered the owners to stop the works until the local authorities will make a final decision in this respect, although he asserted that the construction workers had all the necessary papers for continuing the works, including the decision of the Court of Appeals on the cancellation of City Hall’s decision.