Latvian lawmakers propose bill to protect capital Riga as green city

RIGA, May 22 (Xinhua) -- Every tree that is cut or dies in the historical center or protected area of the Latvian capital city Riga will have to be replaced by planting a new tree under a new bill proposed by a group of lawmakers, the Baltic country's public media reported Tuesday.

The draft amendments to the law on the preservation and protection of the historical center of Riga are intended to prevent the number of trees from decreasing in downtown Riga.

According to the draft legislation proposed by the five MPs, if a wooden house is demolished or burns down in the city center, the new building that is constructed in the site has to be approximately of the same size and also a wooden structure.

The proposal was submitted to the parliament's education, culture and science committee on Tuesday.

Aleksejs Loskutovs, an MP of the ruling center-right Unity party and one of the bill's authors, noted that too much of the city's greenery has been lost in recent years due to ongoing street renovation works.

"If we are to protect the historical city center, we have to protect it as it has developed, with its small-sized parks which at the same time create the impression of Riga as a very green city," said Loskutovs. Enditem