Residents of Imereti Valley in Sochi prevent declared housebreaking

Residents of the Imereti Valley - the territory of the would-be Olympic Village in Sochi - have managed to prevent the declared demolishment of their houses, delay the alienation of their land plots and insist on creations of exchange stock of land plots and construction of new houses as a precondition of resettling.

On December 22, the Committee for Construction and Land Relations of Russian State Duma considered the bill prepared for the second reading "On Making Changes in Individual Legislative Acts of the Russian Federation Regarding Setting Up Construction Easements and (or) Operation of Certain Objects As Necessary to Organize and Hold the 22nd Winter Olympic Games and 11th Winter Paralympic Games of 2014 in the City of Sochi, and Development of the city of Sochi as Mountain-Climate Resort".

Twelve amendments were offered to the bill, and all of them were recommended to adoption. "The new wording of the bill has broadened the functionality of the 'Olympstroy' Corporation. Apart from other things, the Corporation shall now build new houses instead of alienated ones for its own money," the "Cadastral News" Agency quotes Chairman of the Committee Martin Shakkum as saying.

Let us note here that the Union of Imereti Residents has held and published, under request of the Olympic Department of the Territory, the results of the population poll of the Imereti Valley. The majority of the respondents (95 percent) would like to remain where they live and still hope that "the Olympiad will be removed."

The same 95 percent of the respondents, in case the demolishment is inevitable, would not take any money - the Imereti residents stand for barter exchange. Their new land plots should be equivalent to the old ones both by area and location relative the sea, while the projects of new houses in these land plots should be coordinated with them - this was the opinion of the residents.

The remaining 5 percent are those who obstinately disagree with anything and proclaim their readiness to struggle for the right to remain in place to the end, threatening with armed resistance.
: "Sochi: judge in "black realtors" case is against public in courtroom," "Krasnodar territorial authorities fail to meet residents of Imereti Meadow," "Union of Imereti Valley Residents founded at rally in Sochi."