Mamalyga gypsum plant receives its mining claim from Chernivtsi Oblast Council

Subject of complaint: Chernivtsi Oblast Council 
Complaint in brief: On November 17, 2017, the Mamalyga gypsum plant – a leading domestic manufacturer of plaster finishing materials, turned to the BOC with a complaint against the Chernivtsi Oblast Council. The enterprise was unable to get a mining allotment for developing a gypsum deposit.
The Complainant has been mining minerals in the village of Mamalyga in Chernivtsi Oblast for several years already. In February 2017, the State Geology and Subsoil Service (Derzhgeonadra) extended the company’s permit to extract gypsum for 20 years. This permit established the geographical coordinates of the extraction area. However, to extract minerals from the soil, the plant had to get a mining claim for the minerals extraction, which gives the right to engage in specific work on a project, directly from the local council.
In May, after preparing the necessary package of documents, the company filed a claim with the Chernivtsi Oblast Council. That was when the delays began. Over five months, the Complainant’s issue was not brought up at council sessions, yet the committee said nothing about the package of documents that had been submitted in support of the claim. And in October, the oblast council website posted a draft decision that the plant’s claim had been turned down, although the application had never been reviewed at any session.
The Complainant has repeatedly turned to the committee chair and members for an explanation as to why the claim had been turned down, but received no response. Meanwhile, the company’s Turkish investors even asked the Turkish Consul, for assistance.
Actions taken: On November 27, the BOC investigator asked the Chernivtsi Oblast Council a request to explain reasons of not granting the mining claim. The BOC also asked for explanations from the committee chair. On December 4, after analyzing the information received, the BOC investigator turned once more to the oblast council chair with a request to disseminate the claim and the Council’s position on the case among the oblast deputies. The investigator noted that there were no valid reasons for refusing to grant the mining claim to the Complainant. The Council also made a written request to the oblast governor. As a result, the oblast governor personally addressed the deputies about this case.
Result achieved: On December 7, the Mamalyga gypsum plant finally got the right to extract gypsum from the deposit. With the assistance of the BOC, the case, which had been unresolved for more than six months, was closed within a few weeks.