When a long-lived oak tree was cut down in Vilnius on Saturday and politicians expressed their indignation at the decision, UAB "Rinktinės NT", which purchased the plot on Ceikinių street, does not admit its guilt. The submitted comment claims that the tree in question is immature, less than a hundred years old, and that the root area is falling onto the stormwater network, causing obvious damage to it.
Meanwhile, in the social space, the people of Vilnius are upset because of such an act. Politicians blame each other, the current politicians in power blame the contractor, and Vilnius residents say that this story will soon be forgotten and the guilty will not be punished.
Artūras Zuokas also reacted to this event and says that Vilnius city authorities must submit a document that they demanded to save the cut oak.
"The fact that politicians' public outrages are not just hypocritical "crocodile tears", Vilnius city municipality with the signature of the chief architect Mindaugas Pakalnis, must publicly submit a clear and unambiguous document confirming that the Vilnius City Municipality demanded the preservation of the cut oak. Vilnius is waiting", says former mayor Artūras Zuokas.
"The story about the felled oak tree in Ceikinių st. I took it personally. As if I had lost a close person. Leaked by neglect this spring, it recovered, perhaps the first of all Vilnius oaks to spread its buds. And I still can't believe what happened. It is good to read the public communication of the construction company. You knew that the design task clearly states that the oak must be preserved. You have asked us to change this task by writing that the alternatives of lifting and felling the oak should also be considered. We met a week ago and you convinced us to accept your proposals. We didn't agree. We clearly said that the oak, which is important for the local landscape and has simply become a symbol of the place, would be preserved. We expressed the same to you in writing yesterday, Friday. We refused in writing to change the design assignment. So don't say you didn't know. Estonian "type" investors (you are not worthy of that name), Lithuanian company representatives and lawyers. You knew perfectly well what you were doing, you did it while realizing the consequences of your actions and you will have to answer for it. Don't think that by cutting down the oak tree you have solved your despicable problem of 40 parking spaces. You don't even realize the problem you've created. You will have to make up for the ruined originality of the place. Do at least twice as much as you would have done by simply saving the oak. Well, trust in you will never be restored...", wrote the mayor of Vilnius. architect Mindaugas Pakalnis.
Business baptized the new mayor of Vilnius
It is already being said in the social space that the business baptized the mayor of the city of Vilnius, Valdas Benkunskas.
"The Ukrainian woman watched a crime being committed in the center of Vilnius. This is how business christened the new mayor of Vilnius, V. Benkunskas. The mayor probably knew that the oak tree would be cut down, but he did not stop it, and when he came to it, he was only able to take a video and complain. We will see what the Vilnius government will do next", - writes Stasys Jekeliūnas on his Facebook account.
"In our beloved city, a hundred-year-old, healthy, green oak tree was barbarically cut down today. This is not the first such spat in the face of the people of Vilnius by real estate developers - theft from us and our children. I invite the law enforcement to evaluate this case in a principled manner. Until now, I have sought, and will continue to seek, stricter legal assessment of crimes against nature. Let's not be indifferent - let's oppose scoundrels who have lost their conscience," the president also wrote.
