Enough is enough

За български натисни тук
Yesterday I did not go to the action in protection of Rila in
Sofia, instead we decided to go to Rila and check what is going on.
In the car coming back from the Rila Lakes, i heard the evening news on the radio "Nature defenders protested against construction in Rila", short sentence.. After a few more short headings, the news continued with sport and weather forecast and stayed at these meaningful topics for the next 10 minutes....

How many people have heard the news for construction in Rila? How many actually comprehend what does construction in Rila mean? How many understand what I understood yesterday going up from Panichiste to Rila Lakes?
Here is what happens above Pionerska hut at the moment:

Cut trees, heavy machines and multitude of people, rack-tracks and motor sledges






Yesterday the last towers of the illegally constructed lift have been placed.

The video will be uploaded at http://www.forthenature.org/, where you will also be able to hear what a walk in Rila is like. What can not be felt watching the video is the smell of exhaust gases, you can imagine though the emissions coming out from the CONSTANTLY going up and down sledges and the brand new rack-tracks of Rilasport JSC. The noise they were making was competing with the noise from the helicopter, that was caring tower after tower, until all of them were placed. Many will say, "when the lift starts to function, the motor driven machines will be restricted" But who will stop them? It is illegal now to use those. Who will stop the people who think Rila is a motortrack, to stop showing off with their sledges? Who will stop the people who want to build a another lift up to Kabul peak? Who will stop the extension of hotels in the Rila Lakes circus? Who will educate the mass , that the garbage should be carried down and that in Rila it is allowed to walk only on the marked tracks? Who will control compliance with the National Park rules and why there is no control now?

What happens in Rila is a symbol of the illness of our society. There are people who are behind the curtain, that pull the wires. Their names are unknown to many and their names are not related to the shameful constructions and outrages against nature. There are people who serve them and serving them they taste the feeling of power and the need to show off. The facts are simple, there is a large quantity of expensive construction equipment that needs SITES. Rila, Rodopite, Kaliakra, Irakli, Karadere,Sinemorets, etc. are SITES, attractive to any proud owner of a concrete hotel complex.

Is it not time to wake up? Anywhere around the world there might be similar issues, caused by our twisted consumer society, but in many other countries the citizen correction is at least able to protect its saint places. There are few countries where violations will be tolerated in a National Park??!?

So, what we do? There are 100,000 signatures in the petition, aiming cease of illegal construction in Rila. With its submission there will be action in Brussels and Sofia. For now (until the 21st of March) you can sign it here and also check http://www.forthenature.org/ and this blog for information when the action will be. If you have ideas what to do to stop the vicious cycle "investors"-construction-paid politicians-violation against nature, pls comment here.