PROSECUTOR’S OFFICE ORDERED THE BURNT TOBACCO WAREHOUSES IN PLOVDIV TO BE PROPPED UP

On 26th of August, the district Prosecutor’s office in Bulgaria’s second largest city of Plovdiv ordered an immediate implementation of measures to prop-up the burnt out buildings of the tobacco warehouses and make them safe.

The investigative authorities completed the inspection on the site of the Tobacco Town and emergency temporary strengthening can be done.

Under the law on protection of cultural heritage, if the owners fail to prop up the buildings of the warehouses, the municipality is obliged to undertake measures to do so within 14 days. Accordingly, the municipality has to then seek recovery of the funds (spent for the shore up) from the owners.

A commission from the municipality carried out an inspection on the condition of the buildings today. Once the inspection is completed, they will decide what deadlines to be given to the owners. Before the fire, it had not become necessary to issue guidelines to the owners regarding the condition of the buildings, the Mayor of Plovdiv, Ivan Totev said. He explained that the owners were never before that advised to take measures to prop up the buildings because they were not identified as decaying and at risk to collapse. They were in a poor condition, but strong buildings, the mayor explained.

He also said that in the recent 6 years, no investment projects were submitted to the municipality regarding the tobacco warehouses.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Culture initiated new administrative and penal proceedings against the owner of the tobacco warehouse, which was illegally demolished in March. The sanction was imposed for non-implementation of the order issued by the minister of culture, Vezhdi Rashidov, who required the owners to present an investment project for the restoration of the building within two months after the issuing of the order.