Praha will stop the water deliveries to the stalls on Wenceslas Square

Prague - Prague will stop the supply of drinking water to the stalls in Wenceslas Square. This aims to force the owners to cease sales at the stalls. The Prague magistrate informed about this. According to Mayor Bohuslav Svoboda (ODS), hygienists should then deal with the matter. During today’s inspection, the magistrate found that three stalls were not respecting the notices and are open again.
    The mayor discussed the situation today with representatives of the regulatory authorities. "The contractual relationship with the stall operators ended on December 31, 2012, so the water supplier will terminate the supply of drinking water, as there is no basis for supplying it. The relevant authorities, i.e., the hygienist, should address the situation," stated Mayor Svoboda.
    Owners who did not close their stalls face fines of up to 200,000 crowns. Additional sanctions of 10,000 crowns daily may be imposed for not removing the stalls from the square by the end of last week. One of the owners, Milan Janeček, repeatedly insisted that he could not remove the stalls due to the Christmas markets.
    The magistrate's department for management, registration, and utilization of property today sent out requests to all operators to remove the stalls within seven days. Those who do not comply with the office's decision, according to the magistrate, are at risk of a clearance lawsuit.
    Discussions about the stalls in Wenceslas Square have been ongoing for several months. Originally, all but one were to be removed. According to the latest agreement, however, two stalls with refreshments will remain, one until mid-year and the other until the end of the year. The operation of one stall selling newspapers and one selling flowers will not be terminated for now. Additionally, two more sales points for newspapers will remain, which are part of the city furniture, as well as a seller of tourist tickets.
    This year, the city plans to place glass kiosks in the shape of a boat from the Cigler Marani Architects workshop in the upper part of the square. It is still unclear when this will happen. The city is preparing tender documentation for the selection of a contractor and operator.