While the State Environmental Expert Committee of the Ministry of Nature Protection of RA is deciding whether or not to give a positive opinion to construction of a processing factory in Sevan basin, one building of the factory has already been built. “Gegamet Plus” presented the construction project on crushing and classifying dunite-peridotites. EcoLur presents photos taken in March 2010 that display almost complete building of the factory, while the open-cast processing of raw materials from Shorzha Mine is located 1 km far away. Crushing raw materials results in dust that contains toxic chromium which is blown off directly to Lake Sevan. Reminder: still in 2008 one of the founders of GEGAMET Vladimir Gasparyan publicly stated a ore processing combine will be set up in the region of Lake Sevan to develop Shorzha and Jil Mines that will annually produce 20 mln tons of refractory, 150 thousand tons of additives to obtain cement, 50 thousand tons of chrome concentrate and 20 thousand tons of ferrochromium. The co-owner of this enterprise turned out to be RA NA deputy Khachik Manukyan from the same party as the Minister of Nature Protection of RA. As it became known to EcoLur, the Expert Committee on Lake Sevan Preservation at the National Academy of Sciences of RA didn’t support the factory construction project near Shorzha with the following substantiation: RA Law “On Lake Sevan” forbids construction of processing enterprises in Sevan basin. Despite this ban laid down in the law, the Ministry of Nature Protection of RA still decided to hold public hearings on this project. Invitation to participate in this event was not announced beforehand as supposed, but on the very day of hearings, i.e. 27 April. None of stakeholders were warned about: NGOs, Environmental Department of Gegharkunik Marz and the Aarhus center in Gavar. Under the information EcoLur has, “Sevan” National Park was not present in these public hearings with the substantiation that construction zone is not included in the territory of the National Park, while impact of dust and wastes on the lake is to be addressed to the State Environmental Inspection. So these hearings were participated by the Chairman of State Environmental Expert Committee, the planner and the Head of Shorzha Village Administration with several villagers. This fact of concealing the construction near Lake Sevan once again proves that the Ministry of Nature Protection of RA neglects alarms regarding “GEGAMET” Company’s operation. The issue, whether processing dunite-peridotite raw material containing heavy and toxic elements is lawful, was raised before the Ministry for several times. “Ecolur” NGO, “For Sustainable Human Development” Association the Aarhus Center in Gavar and local NGOs publicly draw RA Nature Protection Minister Aram Harutyunyan’s attention to inadmissibility of “GEGAMET” Company’s operation near Sevan and call him to take appropriate measures.