Land buyout bill not unconstitutional

Transport Minister Árpád Érsek believes that the legislation regarding future highways is not unconstitutional, TASR learnt on Thursday. The new bill enables some construction-related works to be carried out on lands where future highways and roads are to be built even before they are expropriated. "I believe that this bill is not unconstitutional. It was inspired by the German model," Érsek said in Parliament during a debate on the Act on One-Off Extraordinary Measures in Preparation for the Construction of Some Highways and Roads.
The minister stressed that the crux of the issue is not the expropriation of land per se but the speculative price which the owners demand in order for the buyout to take place. "I want a court to decide on the price and, in the meantime, we can start working on the land," claimed Érsek. He is attempting to shepherd the bill through Parliament in response to problems with buying out the land necessary for the building of the Bratislava bypass.