Court to handle city's unparalleled lawsuit over pollution

Prague, Feb 5 (CTK) - A Czech court will deal with the lawsuit that Ostrava, the centre of the industrial Moravia-Silesia region and the country's third biggest city, filed against the state over air pollution almost three years ago, server e15.cz reported Tuesday.

Renowned defence lawyer Tomas Sokol, who will represent Ostrava, said in his opinion the dispute is unparalleled.

"I never speculate on anyone's chances in court disputes beforehand," Sokol is quoted as saying.

The state will be represented by the Environment Ministry in the dispute.

The court proceedings are to start in March at the latest.

In the lawsuit from spring 2010, the town of Ostrava seeks protection against what it calls unlawful interference by the government, the Environment Ministry and the Transport Ministry.

The problem mainly rests in the insufficient and ineffective protection of the quality of air and the transgression of pollution limits, the city says.

"We expect the issue to be handled and decided on by the end of March at the latest," Prague Municipal Court deputy chairman Jan Ryba told the server.

Ostrava has paid 116,700 crowns so far in rewards to lawyers within this dispute.