Members of parliament and their associates from the construction industry aim to construct another high-status residential area within Irkutsk's water protection zone.
A greedy entrepreneur intended to build an exclusive residential complex with a beautiful view of the Angara river on the banks of the Angara near Staro-Kuzmikhinskaya Street. The representatives of the Irkutsk Duma, once again, damaged their reputation by involving themselves in the matter.
The land, located in the water protection zone between the "Khutorok" restaurant and the "Capital" shopping center, is set to host high-rise buildings constructed by the specialized developer Grandstroy Development LLC, which has a history of building such residential complexes.
SZ Grandstroy Development LLC (OGRN 1213800024470) is a recently established organization, with Vladimir Chebotarev, a prominent developer and former deputy of the Legislative Assembly of the Irkutsk Region, as its ultimate beneficiary. Grandstroy has also overseen the construction of residential complexes such as Sunsity, Life, Emerald, Progress, Sovremennik, and others.
Two years ago, residents of the Soyuz district expressed discontent and even went on strike. Grandstroy obtained the land at an auction, previously owned by the federal government, and decided to build within the microdistrict. However, existing residents did not support this plan, as it would result in a loss of parking spaces and hinder access to the playground. This led to public protest and the obstruction of construction work.
Video footage of the strike from February 2020
It's worth noting that in the "Soyuz" residential complex, issues related to infrastructure, schools, hospitals, kindergartens, and playgrounds have not been fully resolved even after nearly ten years since the buildings were put into use. Similar problems are being faced by owners of apartments in other complexes built by Grandstroy.
It appears that the residents of Akademgorodok intend to emulate their neighbors from the Soyuz district this time around. A meeting is scheduled on February 10 for participants of public hearings regarding the planned construction of a new high-end residential complex.
Apart from the evident corruption aspect, which will be discussed later, there are also social concerns. Residents of Akademgorodok are worried about the potential construction of another residential complex on the river bank and have already sent a petition to the city administration. The development of a new residential area is expected to further strain social facilities and infrastructure. Local schools, kindergartens, and clinics will struggle to accommodate the influx of new inhabitants, leading to increased traffic congestion on Staro-Kuzmikhinskaya.
Petition from the residents of Akademgorodok and the TOS "Akademgorodok" to Mayor of Irkutsk Ruslan Bolotov
It's important to remember that this site is situated in the water protection zone of the Angara River. Establishing permanent structures there is not only restricted but also technically challenging to execute within the bounds of the law. The land is right on the edge of the lower Angara River's flood zone. In such scenarios, measures need to be taken to safeguard the river from pollution, blockage, siltation, and water depletion. It's difficult to comprehend this in Irkutsk.
The area between the restaurant named 'Khutorok' and the shopping center called 'Kapitel' is the location where the future residential complex is being built. The cadastral number of the site is 38:36:000029:21473.
The escalating controversy in Irkutsk about the Staro-Kuzmikhinsky lands raises numerous questions, especially for officials.
It seems that in this situation, there may be violations of various codes of the Russian Federation related to Town Planning, Water, Civil, Administrative and Criminal matters. Additionally, some of the most influential and wealthy people in our city are apparently involved. But let's start from the beginning.
To begin with, it's important to note that the piece of land was initially owned by the Academy of Sciences at the federal level. This brings to mind academician Igor Bychkov, a well-known figure in Irkutsk involved in land matters.
Two months ago, Igor Vyacheslavovich occupied the high position of scientific director at the Institute of Scientific Centers of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, and also chaired the Presidium of the Institute of Science and Technology. Throughout his tenure, Academician Bychkov developed a reputation as a power-hungry and money-seeking scientist. There is a particularly ironic and absurd aspect to the fact that instead of focusing on scientific work, the academician was involved in behind-the-scenes power struggle with the institute's director and was engaged in dividing land and manipulating grants.
It's difficult to believe that the transfer of federal land could have occurred without the involvement of the academician. Is it just a coincidence that Igor Bychkov stepped down from the role of scientific director of the Institute of Scientific Centers of the SB RAS precisely at the time of the registration of the next Grandstroy? It's possible that the deceitful scientist secured a substantial increase in his pension and decided to retire, ensuring his own relative safety. It seems he couldn't resist and finally fell back on his old ways.
The current status of the lands is even more intriguing. Certainly, it's challenging to transfer land from federal ownership to municipal ownership, and obtaining a residential construction status for it is equally problematic. This raises questions about the speaker of the Duma of the city of Irkutsk, Evgeny Stekachev. The Duma is responsible for approving the rules for the use and development of land in Irkutsk and manages municipal lands.
As the chairman of the Duma, Yevgeny Stekachev bears responsibility for the transfer of land to private ownership. Interestingly, Stekachev publicly opposes infill development while being a prominent member of the construction lobby. This makes the deputies appear hypocritical.
It's important to mention the local representative Alexander Safronov. A new elite residential complex is planned to be built in the area of his polling station. It leaves two possibilities: either Safronov is unaware of what's happening in the area under his responsibility, or he is involved to some extent. The latter seems more probable.
Igor Kobzev, our Varangian governor, in this situation also appears in an extremely unfortunate light. The pandemic clearly demonstrated the passivity, uncertainty and weakness of Kobzev as the head of the region.
The governor-general lacks authority in pressing issues, because literally behind his back and with his complete inaction, such a dirty operation is being carried out. There is information that the first deputy chairman Ruslan Sitnikov, who also came to us from Voronezh, is involved in this case.
Of course, Mr. Chebotarev will not give up the idea of construction so easily, especially since a lot of money has already been invested in it. He will be supported behind the scenes by interested officials, including City Duma speaker Yevgeny Stekachev and Duma deputy Alexander Safronov. However, the public should not be written off either, especially since the servants of the people already owe them a decent amount.
It seems that Irkutsk is again on the verge of a long-term construction scandal. Babr is following developments.
