BPPM prepares lawsuit against Baikal Environmental Wave

28/02/10

Lawyers of the Baikalsk Pulp and Paper Mill (BPPM) have prepared material for a lawsuit in regards to the spreading of 'false information' about an accident which allegedly occurred at the plant in late December 2009, according to the press office of the the BPPM.

The Irkutsk regional association of trade unions, with reference to the trade union of BPPM, claimed that "on the 24th December, with production already having begun in the evaporation section in the BPPM, a 20 cubic metre condensation tank exploded.

Prosecutors of the Slyudyanka district conducted an audit and found no evidence of an explosion at the mill, according to the press service of the BPPM. "Nevertheless, representatives of environmental organizations, knowing the test results, continue to use this fact when dealing with their audiences" - says the official report of the plant. The plant has also expressed its anger at the local NGO "Baikal Environmental Wave" (BEV), who have been reporting about the conditions of the waste treatment facilities at the factory.

In response, the Co-Chair of "BEV" Marina Rikhvanova said: "it would be beneficial if all of these arguments would be heard in court."

'This is the first time that I've heard that he plant is preparing documents for a lawsuit. However, the information that we have and which we use in our speeches is not false. By spreading information about the accident, we relied on the contents of a letter composed by the union of the mill, which we trust, - explained Marina Rikhvanova.

After receiving information about the explosion, environmentalists send inquiries to the supervisory authorities, but answers have not been forthcoming.