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Rumyana Kehayova is the chairman of the Chitalishte and sings in “Eurobabi”, but does not receive money for it. PHOTO: THE AUTHOR
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A shepherd gave her 10 liters in retaliation for grazing his flock in her meadow
I should not receive a pension at all for 1 year, says Rumyana
10 liters of homemade sheep’s milk, donated by a shepherd to a pensioner, brought the 65-year-old woman an unbearable fine of BGN 4,000.
Rumyana Kehayova from the village of Zabardo, Chepelare municipality, was caught by the Food Agency on a signal for non-originating fermented milk in the tourist site “Wonderful Bridges”. In fact, the homemade milk was given to her by a shepherd in exchange for grazing his flock in her meadow.
“Rumyana Kehayova walks about 10 km to the tourist site every day to
sells souvenirs. He barely earns BGN 10 a day
You left a liter of the milk in question at home. She fermented the rest and took it with her to send to friends. The inspectors from the Food Agency decided that she would sell it, they asked for a document, she didn’t have one, so they wrote her the impossible act “, says the mayor of Zabardo Valentin Cherpokov.
“I don’t know how I will be able to pay this fine, I have to not receive a pension at all for a year or sell souvenirs for 3-4 years to cover it,” the woman said. Lately, because of the constant walking, her leg hurts and she has difficulty moving.
Kehayova is a widow, living alone and selling souvenirs to earn some money. He is a member of the folklore ensemble “Eurobabi” at the community center “Hristo Botev” in the village. Amateurs are known not only for their wonderful performances of folk songs, but also for their sense of humor and jokes to world-famous personalities. Kehayova is the chairman of the Chitalishte, but does not receive any remuneration.
“The woman glorified both the village and the state, and now she has been severely punished,” Cherpokov said.
“I have been a widow for 16 years. My sons live in Plovdiv. I don’t want to shut myself up at home. I make jam and marmalade in the summer, knit slippers in the winter to sell to tourists. Everything is according to the rules, I do it myself, I don’t want to be a burden to anyone. The souvenirs go through a company and we have a cash register of “Wonderful Bridges”. The milk that was given to me by a shepherd – my relative, I fermented in 22 buckets to send to friends from Varna and Dobrich, because then a group would come from there and they knew my friends. However, according to the report, an inspection came and they drew up an act for me. The milk was unlabeled and I had even put it in a refrigerated display case so that it would not spoil, ”says Rumyana.
The court in Chepelare upheld the fine
A three-member panel of the Administrative Court in Smolyan is yet to rule.
“I am outraged by the size of the fine and the fact that a person who is fighting for his livelihood must be left without any income for a year. Is she the biggest criminal in this country? ”Cherpokov commented.
He recalled a case of a 78-year-old man from Zabardo, a first-class invalid and almost blind, who was investigated for illegally felling fallen trees from a snowstorm to his meadow. They were literally rotting. Instead of encouraging him to clear the forest, the foresters drew up an act of poaching. The humble old man, who has never had a problem with justice in his life, suffered severe humiliation, fell ill and then died.
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