“We are not here to put money into the state coffers or to engage in over-administration. We simply support serious people and punish the abuses of those who are not.”. This Tuesday, September 17, on the occasion of a “multi-thematic control day” which she led, the services of the Departmental Directorate of Territories (DDT) wished to emphasize that pedagogy did not exclude firmness.
“The water quality in the Indre is average”
Gathered in Saint-Genou, many services, including the French Office for Biodiversity (OFB) and the departmental management of the Regional Health Agency (ARS) were present at this event, which Amélie Trochet, deputy public prosecutor, also attended.
Throughout the day, they carried out various checks on professionals and individuals in the Indre valley, particularly in the water sector.
“The water quality in the Indre is average, underlined Mathieu Dourthe, deputy departmental director of the DDT, in the preamble. We know that we have major challenges to reconquer and the parameters are not necessarily good when it comes to nitrates. […]. There are many obstacles to ecological continuity.”
The fact remains that this Tuesday, the press did not have the opportunity to attend any checks on the subject of water. The same filtering by the prefect was applied to checks carried out on agricultural plots. “Of course, farmers are obviously affected by the controls. But the important thing is that the entire population becomes aware that everyone is affected. It would not be credible to target only one type of economic or human activity. It is a global approach that we are implementing.”we were told.
Instead, The New Republic was invited to an inspection of a photovoltaic park located in Buzançais. On site, a pair of agents made observations. “We are not here to stigmatize or target your company” we were immediately reassured.
Various reactions
Checks relating to the building permit, compliance with environmental requirements, the company Sorégies, the leader of the photovoltaic project, had to meet certain obligations. “We have certain areas that contain orchids to preserve, and we also need to encourage the passage of small wild fauna, explains Charlotte Marchand, project manager. The security aspect is also very important. This is why we had a lot of discussions with the Sdis 36 beforehand.”
And to conclude on the usefulness of the actions carried out by the DDT. “We had no fears because it is a project that has been thought through and concerted. But it is positive to put these controls in place. This allows us to enhance the preliminary studies and what we do on a daily basis.” An understanding that is clearly not observable everywhere. “We generally observe that controls are becoming more and more difficult,” notes Amélie Trochet who assures that the prosecution “stay vigilant. This is a dispute in the making.”
> Various sanctions. While the texts provide, in principle, for prison sentences for certain environmental offences, “in practice, we don’t go that far,” says Amélie Trochet, deputy prosecutor. “The sanctions are varied and educational. The main objective is compliance, repairing the environment. At the Châteauroux public prosecutor’s office, we have notably set up the environmental citizenship course which works very well. Fines can also be put in place.”
