Imereti residents demand to stop factories located in the territory of ornithological park

Residents of the Imereti Lowland in Sochi complain of contamination of the environmental and noises, which exceed the standards, emitted and generated by the three factories belonging to the State Corporation "Olympstroy." According to local citizens, the factories of high hazard degree were placed on the lands initially allocated for an ornithological park.

Last March three factories - of reinforced concrete articles, rubber-bitumen products and asphalt plant, which make the orders of the "Olympstroy", - were built in the territory of residential districts of the state farm "Rossiya" in the area of Staroshkolnaya, Staroklubnaya and Polevaya. According to residents of these streets, the factories work round the clock.

The Imereti residents tell that the factories are 500 meters off the resort sea zone and some 40-125 meters off the dwelling houses. In their numerous appeals to Russian "Rospotrebnadzor", "Rostekhnadzor" (Federal Agencies for Consumer and Technical Supervision), Public Prosecutor, President and Prime Minister, they insist that these hazardous for human life and health facilities, located in the area forbidden for such accommodation, should be immediately closed.

Vladimir Orobei, head of the Sochi "Rospotrebnadzor", answering a journalist's question why the factories are still working, if they are in the forbidden zone and operate without due permits, said that "the factories are temporary, and other standards exist for them." To the question how to understand the word "temporary" the official explained that the facilities will stand there till 2011.

According to Mr Orobei, he does not know precisely to what extent the operation of these factories is hazardous; therefore respective measurements are now underway.

The animal of the Imereti Lowland, which is a unique natural landscape and habitat of many significant species, will be resettled, according to the offered project, to the ornithological park having the area of 247 hectares. However, already then local residents marked that if the area had been allocated it should have been fenced; but even then there was no single zone of that area available.

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