House Committee on Regional Development to Address Situation in Gelnica

Bratislava, 31 July (TASR) - The parliamentary committee for public administration and regional development is expected to deal with the situation in Gelnica district (Kosice region) next Wednesday (6 August) at 1 p.m. at an away-from-home session, according to the information published on the parliament's website. Gelnica mayor Dusan Tomasko, representatives of the affected municipalities, affected district authorities and representatives of the Interior Ministry have been invited to the session. The committee meeting was initiated by the opposition Progressive Slovakia (PS), Christian Democrats (KDH) and Freedom and Solidarity (SaS) parties in connection with the consequences of the high winds in Gelnica district. The aim is to evaluate the current situation, examine the effectiveness of the aid provided and obtain feedback from the affected residents and municipalities. "We'll discuss the information in the media that the state assistance is insufficient and is coming late. We'll also visit the affected municipalities and have working meetings with mayors and residents of the affected localities," said Alec Borovy from the PS media department. Eastern Slovakia was hit by strong winds and rain at the beginning of July. They caused widespread material damage to residents' property, infrastructure and transport networks. A state of emergency due to the windstorm was declared in dozens of municipalities and in the whole of Gelnica district. At the time, Interior Minister Matus Sutaj Estok (Voice-SD) rejected criticism that government officials weren't responding appropriately to the situation. A press conference of Interior Ministry State Secretary Michal Kalinak is due to be held on Friday (1 August), where he'll also address the issue. am/mcs