SIZP Finds Violation of Law in Case of Helicopter Flight over Mala Fatra

       Bratislava, August 6 (TASR) - The Slovak Environmental Inspectorate (SIZP) found a violation of the Nature and Landscape Protection Act in the case of a publicised helicopter flight over the territory of the Mala Fatra National Park, SIZP told TASR in a statement on Tuesday, adding that it was a working flight of Environment Ministry State Secretary Filip Kuffa with respect to the zoning.
        It was tvnoviny.sk website that broke the news first.
        According to SIZP, the pilot didn't comply with the legally required height in the area of the most heavily protected zones of the Mala Fatra National Park, without the necessary approval of the nature conservation authority. "Since the act in question has the characteristics of an offence in the field of nature and landscape protection, the Zilina Environmental Inspectorate will investigate the matter in a separate offence procedure," said the inspectorate.
        Due to the suspicion that the flight may have violated civil aviation regulations, the Environmental Inspectorate in Zilina repeatedly submitted a complaint to the Transport Authority to carry out state supervision in civil aviation. "The latter, however, refused to deal with the matter," stated SIZP.
        Kuffa claimed at a meeting of the parliamentary agriculture and environment committee in April that there was no violation of the law during the helicopter flight, considering it to be hypothetical that his flight had endangered protected plants and animals in the Mala Fatra mountains. At the time, Kuffa didn't answer the question of what authorisation the pilot had to fly so low without approval from a district authority.
        The opposition saw a violation of legislation in connection with the flight and called on Environment Minister Tomas Taraba (a Slovak National Party/SNS nominee) to dismiss Kuffa from his post.