More than 200 inhabitants of Sociteni village of Ialoveni district in the morning of May 27 protested against the cutting of a section of forest where there is to be constructed a recreational area. The village’s mayor Nicolae Bogos has told IPN that the plot is managed by the Forestry Agency “Moldsilva”, but was leased out to a company.

Contacted by IPN, “Moldsilva” director Ion Cebanu confirmed that about 30 hectares of forest in the village had been leased out in 2008-2010. “The problem is that the construction authorization was issued by the local administration without consulting the villagers,” said Cebanu. He invited representatives of the protesters to discussions to settle the dispute.

This is not the first protest staged by the inhabitants of Sociteni. In April, they staged a protest, demanding that the forest be transferred back to the Sociteni mayor’s office.