While Marjan undergoes treatment for the bark beetle, a bug that attacked its pine forest, many areas of the park are restricted to the public. To ensure there are no trespassers, Split police officers have announced they will punish citizens if they enter the enclosed areas of the park where works by company “Matima project” are ongoing, reports Slobodna Dalmacija on March 6, 2019.
Currently, works are being carried out in the area from the Institute to Bene. Recall, almost one-third of the trees inside the park will be cut and removed from the forest during the treatment. This includes trees that are already dead and those that are still thriving but are under the threat of the bark beetle bug.
“It is forbidden to access the locations where the works are being carried out. However, so far there has been anarchy. I was constantly worried about something that did not happen. But it will not be that way anymore. Applications to the police against an unknown offender in such cases are not effective. The police are on the ground, not on patrols, but literally on the ground. Whoever is caught will receive a fine on the spot,” said Marjan Nenad Ružić, the Crisis Staff Coordinator.
The Split-Dalmatia County Police Administration revealed that the fine for entering the forbidden areas on Marjan amounts to 500 kuna.
“We call upon citizens to respect the temporary measures of the ban on movement, but it is not our primary goal to punish them, this is for their safety. A fine will be imposed as the ultimate measure, only if someone is really disobeying the prohibitive signs, alerting staff on the ground and the police, and challenging their security, property and the lives of others. But we appeal to the citizens to have patience and walk in other parts of Marjan,” says Ana Čepić from the Split police.
While intensified measures to ban access to the workspace will bring more security to the citizens, the process of works on Marjan will now be less visible on social networks and the media, unlike the last few days where we’ve been exposed to various videos and photos by citizens.
Recall, the rehabilitation of Marjan began on February 26, 2019, which forced the closure of all traffic (pedestrian and motor) from the Institute to Bene. The regular bus line is also not operating. The works are being carried out by the company Matima Project – and ultimately, Marjan’s pines will be replaced with more sustainable species. Some 20,000 trees will be removed from the Split park in total and the process, as expected, will take time
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