Due to concerns of the residents of Taurage and Šilalė about hunting and decreasing agricultural areas, the planned manoeuvre ranges are to be relocated away from residential areas and reduced in size by 565 hectares and 335 hectares, respectively, says Renius Pleškys, the Vice-Minister of National Defence. In the Tauragė area, it would be proposed to reduce the area from the original version by 565 hectares, i.e. by taking 5 areas away from residential areas and reducing the size of the polygon. For Šilalė – (...) the change would be over 335 hectares, away from 4 territories“, – R. Pleškys told the Seimas Committee on Rural Affairs on Wednesday.

According to the Vice-Minister, although the new polygons are not specifically given the status of a light manoeuvre polygon, the law provides exclusively for this type of military activity. This means that no firing ranges will be set up on the sites – only simulated firing, pyrotechnics will be used, and restrictions on deforestation will be stricter – up to 15% of the forest area can be deforested.
Since the law gives a change in the status that the range is free of firing ranges and live firing, the army has no choice but to manoeuvre. It does not say that it is for manoeuvre, but in principle no other activity can be carried out there. The emphasis is more on the Šilalė training ground, because artillery positions will be used there, (...) and Tauragė is more for the infantry, because it is a more wooded area," Pleškys said.

According to Judita Nagiene, Director of the Legal Department of the MoD, after the reduction of the Tauragė and Šilalė polygons, at the request of the local politicians and the surrounding settlements, each of the polygons will be withdrawn from the four territories, including settlements, individual homesteads, the reserve, other recreational areas, and the graveyard. The remaining area of the Tauragė polygon will be 3,687 ha, and the Šilalė polygon will be 2,345 ha, and the MoD will hold these land plots in trust.

ELTA reminds that the Seimas started to discuss the draft law on the establishment of new polygons in Tauragė and Šilalė districts, prepared by the Ministry of National Defence (MoND) in July. The proposal was approved by the National Defence Council. In order to ensure the smooth establishment and efficient use of the polygons, it is proposed to recognise the construction as a project of particular importance and to provide for a legal framework to speed up the creation of the necessary infrastructure.

A polygon of approximately 4,300 hectares is to be built in the Taurage region. At the same time, the Šilalė district will have an area of just over 2.6 thousand hectares. It is announced that the ranges will not be fully enclosed military areas, will not have firing ranges, and will not be used by heavy military equipment. In the past, ministry officials have indicated that construction work on the ranges would start as soon as the special law is approved by Parliament.