IRKUTSK, December 20 (RIA Novosti) - An Irkutsk court refused to suspend the operations of the Baikal Pulp and Paper Mill, accused of contaminating Siberia's Lake Baikal, until at least January 15, a court official said Thursday.
The official said there would be no proceedings on a lawsuit filed by Russia's environmental watchdog Rosprirodnadzor until it specified a legal basis for the lawsuit.
Rosprirodnadzor imposed on December 10 a five-day ban on the dumping of waste into the world's largest freshwater body from the pulp mill. The watchdog earlier said it would sue the company for damages of over 475 million rubles ($19 million).
The Baikal Pulp and Paper Mill, which produces 200,000 metric tons of pulp and 12,000 metric tons of paper per year, is located in east Siberia. The mill is owned by the timber industrial company Continental Management (51%) and the State Property Committee of Russia (49%).
