Senate argues bungled system of construction permits needs crisis manager

The Senate has criticized the newly-digitized system of construction permits arguing that it has fundamental flaws and the issue needs to be addressed before it causes irreparable damage. The upper chamber on Wednesday passed a resolution saying that the Ministry of Regional Development, which is responsible for the bungled system, should get a crisis manager and establish a working group with representatives of building authorities and the Chamber of Architects so as to resolve the persistent problems. In the course of the three-hour debate, senators warned of dire economic consequences, including a mass exodus of civil servants from the sector and possible lawsuits against the state for delays in construction due to the inability to process construction permits. The head of the Czech Chamber of Architects, Jan Kasl, said that he welcomed the Senate's stand.