It was not possible to enter the forest
The famous Gulbinai quarter once again fell into another scandalous situation. After receiving signals that the gates to the state forest are being locked again, Delphi the journalist went to check on May 1, a non-working day. And when he arrived, he could not enter one segment of the forest.
About Delphi you can read the visit to Gulbina quarter by clicking here.
We arrived in Gulbinai quarter in the morning – around ten o’clock. We left the car in the parking lot provided by Vilnius City Municipality last year. There was still some space left in it. There is a gate at this site which was always unlocked. We have not seen any locks on them during previous inspections. However, this time everything is different – we found the gate locked with a padlock. By moving the gate and the lock, we made sure that we would not enter the state forest through this gate.
On the same gate hung a letter signed by the Department of Environmental Protection, stating that the gate to the forest must always be unlocked. There was also a sign saying “Do not block the entrance” and a sign that the area is being filmed.
Realizing that we will not get to the forest by the lake through here, we went further to the other nearest gates. However, we did not get into the forest through them either: they did not open. Warning signs about the danger of ticks were visible in the area. There is also an electronic monitoring system installed at the gate, which, in our opinion, should notify security about the arrival.
The other gate closest to the street was unlocked. But now it’s hard to tell if they’re always unlocked or if they were only unlocked when security saw us checking the first two. The others are much further away, so the security would theoretically have plenty of time to walk away from their post and unlock them undetected.
There is little doubt that we could have gone unnoticed, as video surveillance cameras are installed everywhere at the gates.
After realizing that it would not be possible to enter one segment of the forest, we called the General Emergency Number 112 and reported the locked gate. We have requested that the information be forwarded to the Department of Environmental Protection. We were still in the area for about half an hour, but during that time the environmentalists had not yet arrived. We didn’t wait for them any longer.
Delphi a reader sent the footage the day before our visit. He checked the two gates just off the street and they were locked. According to him, one of the locked gates was at the bus stop. “Others to the left of the ring first,” informed the reader.
Environmentalists have launched an investigation
Thursday to Delphi questions were answered by the Department of Environmental Protection.
“Officers of the department are taking all measures so that arbitrary restrictions on the public’s access to the forest do not recur and the public can use what belongs to them,” the department’s representatives said.
According to them, the duty officers of the Department of Environmental Protection arrived at the scene within 1-2 hours, as soon as they finished the next inspection.
“During the inspection, the officers on duty noticed the locked gate leading to the non-forest land. After this report, the environmentalists, who got acquainted with the situation, conducted a repeated inspection in Gulbinai quarter the next day (05/02/2024). The gate that goes to the forest land was unlocked. We draw your attention to the fact that there is a diagram on the locked gates showing all the gates through which you can enter the forest land,” said the environmentalists.
According to them, because Delphi environmentalists have launched an investigation into the publicized video showing the gates not opening.
“At the moment, environmentalists are clarifying the circumstances of the possible restriction of the visit of persons to the forest, due to the video you shared, the officials are conducting an investigation and clarifying the circumstances”, said the representatives of the Department of Environmental Protection.
Delphi asked UAB “Gulbinų turizmas” with questions on May 1st, but we have not received any answers yet. If we receive them later, we will supplement the article.
Business elite quarter
Lithuania’s business elite is located by Lake Gulbin. The country’s richest businessmen have their luxurious residences there. And this entire territory in the Verkiai Regional Park is surrounded by a fence – even the forest.
However, it should be remembered that according to the Forest Law, both private and state forests must be accessible to everyone. There cannot be fences in the forest. In this case, a huge plot of state land with the entire forest is leased to a private company UAB “Gulbinų turizmas”. And this whole plot, which also includes forest segments, is surrounded by a fence.
Last year Delphi journalists together with blogger Skirmantas Malinauskas tried to get through the forest to the lake. However, then the road was blocked by armed guards and it was not allowed to go through the forest. We had to call the officials of the Department of Environmental Protection, who found the gate to the forest locked when they arrived. Later, the offenders were also fined. About Delphi you can read the visit of journalists and S. Malinauskas by clicking here.
Delphi after the situation was made public, that the fence surrounded the forest, the members of the Seimas became interested in the situation. Last year, members of the Seimas Anti-corruption Commission and Environmental Protection Committee visited the Gulbina quarter. You can read about it by clicking here.
The director of Gulbinų turizmas UAB Sigitas Kubilius presented them with the newly installed gate. He explained that through them it will be possible to enter the forest at any time of the year and at any time of the day.
You can find out who are the owners of the residences in the famous Gulbinai quarter by clicking here here.
