The police have shelved the autumn collapse in Stromovka, but did not find a culprit

Source
Karel Čapek
Publisher
ČTK
16.07.2009 15:20
Czech Republic

Prague

Prague - The police have shelved the autumn ground collapse in Stromovka, Prague, without finding a culprit. This was stated today by the spokeswoman of the Prague police, Eva Miklíková. The soil in Stromovka collapsed for the second time last October during the excavation of the Blanka tunnel, which is being constructed for the Prague City Hall by the company Metrostav. The first incident occurred last May, and at that time the police also dropped the case.

    "The police concluded that no specific person responsible for the incident was identified," Miklíková said regarding the investigation results.
    Martin Stránský from the non-profit organization Arnika, which filed a criminal complaint due to the collapse, is displeased with the decision. "I perceive this negatively. Someone has to be accountable for such a large construction," Stránský said, noting that it should not be a problem to track down the culprit. He added that the construction has strong political support at the Prague City Hall. "There probably isn't the will to search for the culprit," he told ČTK.
    The Prague City Hall also filed a criminal complaint against an unknown perpetrator last autumn at the behest of Mayor Pavel Bém (ODS). "This must not happen a second time. I consider it something unbelievable and I demand the strictest punishment," Bém said a few hours after the collapse. "It is the police's decision, which is valid for us, and we will respect it," commented the press spokesman of the City Hall, Jiří Wolf, today regarding the results of the police investigation.
    The ground in Stromovka collapsed near the former Šlechtova restaurant, creating a crater approximately 30 meters in diameter; no one was injured. However, many people consider this merely a happy coincidence, as the incident occurred over the weekend when many Prague residents visit Stromovka. Just about 50 meters away from the October incident, the tunnel collapsed again in May.
    The mining authority prohibited further excavation after the Metrostav incident; the company first had to reinforce the overburden of the remaining section that must be tunneled through in Stromovka. Metrostav began further excavation at the beginning of April, and according to its representatives, this will not affect the completion date of the Blanka tunnel complex. The mining authority also initiated administrative proceedings regarding the collapse, and the outcome is not yet known.
    The construction of the northwestern part of the internal automobile bypass between Špejchar and the Pelc-Tyrolka intersection began last year. The road will run through tunnels under Letná and Stromovka. The costs for construction work will be 21.2 billion crowns, and the technology will cost an additional 4.5 billion crowns. The roads are expected to be completed in 2011.
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