In Volgograd, tenants of collapsed residential building demand to provide them with new accommodation of equal value

In Volgograd, the city residents, who lost their apartments after an explosion in a multi-storey apartment building, have sent a petition to the municipal, regional and federal authorities. In their petition, the tenants of the collapsed building demand to promptly provide them with accommodation in the same residential district, equivalent to the housing lost by them as a result of the explosion. According to the authors of the petition, the certificates for the purchase of apartments offered by the authorities cannot cover the cost of the lost property.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on December 20, an explosion occurred in No. 47 in Cosmonauts Street in Volgograd. As a result, a block of the building has collapsed. The bodies of five persons were found. Experts have recognized the residential building as dilapidated and subjected to demolition.

"The executive power of the city and the Volgograd Region is trying to force the victims of the explosion to take the certificates for the purchase of apartments at the rate of 35,000 roubles per square meter. Meanwhile, the market value of our lost housing exceeds 50,000 roubles per square meter," states the petition entitled "Help the tenants of the apartment building exploded in Volgograd to achieve justice!", the text of which is posted on the website "Change.org".

According to the petition, one of the options of accommodation, offered by the authorities to the tenants of the building affected by the explosion, is a "low-budget accommodation in a remote residential area." It is to be put in operation in the third quarter of 2016; however, this period is likely to be prolonged till 2017.

"We do not demand from the authorities to do anything beyond what we are entitled to have. We demand to provide us with the equivalent apartments in the same residential area. Promptly, and not in the distant perspective! To solve all our problems, it is enough for the state to spend an amount comparable with the cost of one-day combat actions in Syria. The state, turn around to face us!" states the petition.

Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.