Solymos Opts for Maximum Transparency in Brestovska Cave Rental

Bratislava, April 5 (TASR) – Environment Minister Laszlo Solymos (Most-Hid) decided to abolish the rental contract regarding Brestovska Cave, TASR learnt from Juraj Rybansky of the Environment Ministry press department on Tuesday.

According to Rybansky, the State Protection of Nature (SOP) will draft the budget to determine what it will cost to prepare the cave for public access (construction of a parking lot, changing room, etc). “Based on the drafted figures, SOP will either carry out the investment and run the cave on its own or announce a public tender to find a new administrator,” said Rybansky.

Nonetheless, the Environment Ministry finds the statements made by Zsolt Simon (Independent), according to which the state prepared a profitable business for a private company at its own expense, to be unsubstantiated. “The MP failed to mention one important fact – that further investments worth approximately €80,000 are needed in order to open the cave to the public and these costs fall to the tenant,” said Rybansky.

“Furthermore, he also omitted the fact that in order to protect the cave from damage, the number of visitors must be contractually limited to 17 persons at any one time.”

On Thursday (March 31), Simon accused former environment minister Peter Ziga (Smer-SD) of renting out Brestenska Cave to Pegas Slovakia Civic Association in a non-transparent manner for €1,200 annually VAT-included. Simon called the contract “a disgusting racket of the nth degree” and urged the Environment Minister to abolish the contract at once.