BRATISLAVA, November 26, (WEBNOVINY) — The government of the Slovak Republic is planning to give preference to construction of a more expensive section of the D1 highway to construction of a cheaper stretch of this highway, according to opposition leader and former Prime Minister Robert Fico. SMER-SD chairman said at a news conference on Friday that the decision of incumbent Minister of Transport Jan Figel (KDH) to cancel the project of the first PPP package for construction of the D1 highway section Dubna Skala – Svinia, which is cheaper than the third PPP package for construction of the section Hricovske Podhradie – Dubna Skala was “beyond all reason“. “We enquire why the government prefers construction of 29 kilometers of the highway around Zilina to construction of 75 kilometers of the highway from Dubna Skala to as far as Presov when such construction is significantly more expensive. The cancelled project only costs EUR 29 million per kilometer while the project that the Cabinet is about to approve will cost EUR 54 million per kilometer. We find it completely beyond reason,“ said Fico.
The ex-prime minister says that this Cabinet-approved decision will significantly harm Slovak companies since implementation of the third package of PPP projects is in hands of German and Austrian companies while construction of the first package was supposed to be realized by Slovak companies. “This is something that cannot be accepted,“ he underscored. On that account, the party SMER-SD is going to submit a proposal to extraordinarily convene a session of parliament where the party wants to ask the Minister of Transport about construction and non-construction of highways in Slovakia. “If the parliamentary session is not convened or ends up by accusing the opposition, we will have to draw consequences toward Minister Figel,“ concluded Fico.
Some Slovak entrepreneurs also disapprove of Cabinet’s attitude toward construction of highways and dual carriageways in Slovakia. Employers associated in the Club 500 dislike the fact that mostly foreign companies participate in construction of Slovak highways. “Employers are appalled by actions of the Ministry of Transport in the planned construction of highways within PPP projects. Every government has to have in mind mostly development of its own economy and support and conditions for creation and sustainability of new jobs for people living in the given country. Unfortunately, we regret to say, the Slovak government is doing quite the opposite in terms of highway construction in Slovakia,“ stated Club 500.
SITA