They Increase Tariffs to Feed Guest Workers?

Yesterday one of lackey Moscow TV channels with aspiration reported that our best of mayors Sobyanin visited grandiose construction site on Yauza near Olonetsky Proezd. It would be in a style of magazine Korea to add that he “personally touched" giant heaps of a tile and curbs which will soon replace remained Moscow trees. Certainly, all these works on beautification of Moscow were presented as allegedly continued care of grateful inhabitants of the capital.

As our mayor as well as his suite and employees of the Moscow TV channel have appeared in the capital quite recently, I want to make some clarifications. I have been living in this region of the city for more than thirty years and feel no pleasure from curb put everywhere.

The history of this park is in general indicative. Once it used to be ordinary piece of forest on Yauza and it satisfied citizens very much. Me too - after city asphalt it was pleasant to walk on local almost wooden footpaths. Impression of being in the wood was so convincing that I shot forest scenes for different programs there. It was just necessary not to lift camera up that neighbouring skyscrapers weren’t seen.

Then new house of improved planning was built, it was inhabited by big bosses and local authorities started expensive beautification of the adjacent territory. Paths, stone plates were laid, riverbank was strengthened and absolutely ugly bridge which right there was called "Luzhkov's" was constructed. Locals understood that all those beauties were done not for them, but for increase of capitalization of elite apartments, no one got interested whether citizens need it! Simple people are allowed to walk along elite paths – say thank you and keep mum.

The park slowly got better, but this summer it suddenly suffered new, absolutely unprecedented on scales modernization wave. Hundreds of guest workers filled it, they started construction of different arbors, rotundas, flower beds, bridges, paths and other excessive decorations, for some reason they grassed the forest and so on and so forth. Dust, aromas of paint, cement, construction garbage and, excuse me, urine of the workers strongly hung in the air, the park got lost for walks and citizens remained without air in summer. I will note that other green zones in the district are also full with construction equipment.

As to the quality of works on "beautification", it’s ready manual for prosecutor's office, see photo. (https://picasaweb.google.com/106319115182369769333/fMWLBJ)

For some reason they break just laid asphalt and lay it anew, the plate is being laid barbarously and immediately bristles, trees are ruined by asphalt, hundreds of the workers senselessly wander backwards-forward with wheelbarrows, squat, meditate or simply sleep. There’s such impression that they have vacations at our expense that they later know for whom to vote.

It’s simply terrible to think about the cost of this ugliness! As well as about who and for what purpose needs it. Usually in civilized countries before start of doing something grandiose they ask taxpayers – if you need it in general? If you are ready to spend your money for it? Certainly, it is possible to suppose that all these kilometers of curbs are bought on personal savings of the management of the Mayor’s office, but I doubt somehow. I haven’t seen golden shower pouring on the city.

On the contrary, they are steadily raising tariffs and threaten to do it from now on. What for? So that ham-handed Tajiks who brought here infection and crime erected curve beds with pansies and Babylons of stones which will collapse in a year and it will be necessary to do them anew. Perspective capital investments!

However, even if this infinite money suddenly fell down from heavens or was personally earned by city chiefs on unloading of trucks, it’s necessary to coordinate construction of Versailles with inhabitants. While if these miracles are created at the expense of the inhabitants – it should be done the more so. May be esthetically unripe citizens want to pay less for the apartment instead.

Though besides obvious desire to cut the budget something deep as the prosecutor's office would gracefully say – something sacramental, even sacral can be seen here. I think that if the mayor of New York would suddenly decide to tile the Central park – he would be immediately send to a mental hospital. As well as the mayor of London, if it would come to his head to asphalt Hampstead-Heath. Not only because of money but because city parks exist so that inhabitants of megalopolis could feel themselves outdoors where there’s no paving though for a while. City chiefs should at least live in the city to understand it. Or to think as inhabitants of the city, not as peasants for whom asphalt is a symbol of prosperity, prestige and progress. As watercloset in the rural house of uncle Kolya who recently bought the four-liter SUV.

However, construction of gardens of Semiramida in SVAO is simply a small warm-up before really giant multi-billion project – paving of Izmaylovsky park which, despite protests of inhabitants, is about to begin.

Why not to pave - we don't choose chiefs and they are not native in this city, it’s possible to do here everything they like.

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