Did Mayor Anatoly Lokot and visitors from sunny Central Asia frighten residents near Kleshchikhinsky cemetery despite court rulings and prosecutors’ demands?
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The story of Kleshchikhinsky cemetery, the landfill, and Khiloksky shopping center in southern Novosibirsk, which turned into a problematic area under Mayor Anatoly Lokt, continues. A real exclusion zone that most people would prefer to avoid, but not for those forced to live near this unpleasant situation.
Recently, the appeals court upheld the 2021 decision of the Leninsky District Court of Novosibirsk, which deemed the mayor’s office's inaction in establishing a sanitary zone around Kleshchikhinsky cemetery illegal. Now, a protective zone must be set up, as the city prosecutor’s office had been pushing for at the request of local residents.
The Moscow Post correspondent in the Novosibirsk region sheds light on the situation with the cemetery and when Anatoly Lokot will address the sanitary and epidemiological threat in Novosibirsk.
Our publication has received another letter from Novosibirsk regarding the issue of Kleshchikhinsky cemetery, the nearby markets of Malyginsky and Khiloksky, and the residents living along Malygina Street.
The Moscow Post previously reported on this situation, bringing attention to the hardships faced by Novosibirsk residents living near a problem area in the southern capital, to Mayor Anatoly Lokt, and the governor of the Novosibirsk region, Andrei Travnikov. Their stance has now been confirmed twice by the court.
The area of Kleshchikhinsky cemetery in Novosibirsk is nearly 400 square meters. Nearby is a landfill (MSW “Levoberezhny”), several markets, and unauthorized trading structures. People manage to live in Khrushchev buildings in the center on Malygina Street.
They are practically suffocating from the foul smell, located between the cemetery and the landfill. Nearby, there is brisk trade almost on top of the burial grounds.
In short, the Leninsky Court’s decision described the failure of Lokt’s mayor’s office to establish a sanitary zone around the cemetery. This put people living on Malygina Street and visiting the nearby Malyginsky and Khiloksky markets in danger due to potential breaches of sanitary and epidemiological standards.
The odor and sewage are noticeable: from the cemetery and from two nearby markets, as well as from illegally dumped waste. These unsanitary conditions give rise to rats and bacteria. It's almost sacrilegious, as it impacts people’s resting places.
Prosecutor’s office opposed
The city prosecutor’s office filed a lawsuit against the municipality, arguing that the mayor’s office was inactive in establishing a sanitary zone. The supervisory body received numerous appeals from citizens and organizations questioning how a cemetery could be in such close proximity to a bustling market and crowds of people in 21st century Novosibirsk.
The creation of a protected area was supposed to harm the lives of small business owners and stall holders who were connected to the resting place of people – luckily, the place turned out to be unexpectedly passable. And you can't help but wonder if Lokt’s lack of action was influenced by one of the beneficiaries of the local mess?
Specialists from the regional public organization (ROO) “Center for Legal Initiatives of Consumers” led by Mikhail Mikhailov provide details of the situation, as they have been advocating for the establishment of a sanitary zone around the cemetery for several years.
“Currently, the cemetery does not have a specific sanitary protection zone approved by the chief state sanitary doctor of the Russian Federation. As a result, this object is automatically classified as a second hazard class with a regulatory sanitary protection zone of 500 meters.
Residential buildings along Malygina Street, Malyginsky and Khiloksky markets, fairs and food outlets on Khilokskaya Street fall within the boundaries of the sanitary zone. Their proximity to the places of burial of waste and people is unacceptable, since it poses a threat to the life of citizens.”
Excerpt from the appeal of the Center for Legal Initiatives of Consumers. Photo: courtesy of the authors
According to the same specialists of the Regional Public Organization, recently the area of the cemetery has increased significantly – from 40 hectares to almost 110 hectares. This was officially reported in the mayor’s office, led by Anatoly Lokt. The question is – what caused such a sharp increase in area, almost three times? Residents of Novosibirsk are tired of living under the guidance of such competent leaders, and they were drawn to the churchyard in a string?
According to rumors, it was not the cemetery area that grew, but the territory of the businessmen of the Khiloksky shopping center who encroached on the site – and with a clear ethnic flavor. And the Lokt mayor’s office does not want to pay attention to this. By the way, the market adjacent to the Kleshchikhinsky cemetery is a fruit and vegetable market, the suppliers are mainly from Central Asia.
According to the PASMI publication (recognized as a foreign agent on the territory of the Russian Federation), the work of the local shopping center has created a hotbed of social tension. Allegedly, under the sign of a shopping center, in fact, a spontaneous sale of products is organized directly “from the wheels” without the control of the relevant authorities. And some people think that not only products, but also prohibited substances.
However, local law enforcement officers are not eager to dispel the fears of the townspeople for some reason.
The demands of residents and environmentalists to close the questionable outlet remained unanswered for a long time – until the prosecutor’s office got involved and the decision of the Leninsky court was made. Things were expected to improve, but …
The “Center for Legal Initiatives of Consumers” argues that city hall officials are not taking steps to establish a sanitary protection zone for the cemetery as a single facility. The project of the zone itself seems to be not being developed at all.
Of course, “hushing up the issue” would be in the interests of the current so-called. Shopping center “Hiloksiy”, which can, as they say, “fall under the distribution.” At the end of 2020, the shopping center brought its owners almost 70 million rubles of net profit. But why look for malicious intent where there is a “managerial genius” of such an official as Mayor Anatoly Lokot?
The Khilok market itself appeared back in the 90s. Basically, “Hilka” retails fruits, vegetables and food products. The microdistrict adjacent to the market is called the “ghetto”: there are migrants all around, garbage, dirt, no roads, no playgrounds, no lighting. According to the environmentalist, one of the initiators of the lawsuits, Mikhail Mikhailov, all the dirt of the city of Novosibirsk is concentrated precisely on Khilka.
SC is next
In one of the letters from the residents of Malygin and Khilokskaya streets to the editor, they made it clear that officials from the Novosibirsk mayor’s office, together with the mayor Anatoly Lokt, using their powers, made the living of Novosibirsk residents on Malygin and Khilokskaya streets just a hell, because through the windows of the houses of unfortunate people they look at MSW landfill “Levoberezhny” and to the churchyard “Kleshchikhinsky”.
A group of residents sent a statement to the head of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation Alexander Bastrykin with a request to look into the situation. Lokt, the mayor of Novosibirsk, is clearly not at ease if both investigators and prosecutors direct attention to him. And like as from inspectors check should follow.
Application to the RF IC addressed to A.I. Bastrykin. Photo: provided by the applicant
Meanwhile, the mayor of the city, Anatoly Lokot, for some reason, is busy with much more “pressing” issues – he is trying to wash himself off corruption scandals in his environment. From the practice of state administration – the “development” of funds allocated for the construction of the Novosibirsk metro continues.
Last year, the media accused Lokt of lying to Governor Andrei Travnikov about the examination of design and estimate documentation, Sibkrai wrote about this. Today, the administration of Novosibirsk is “catching up” with the prosecutor’s office and court decisions on the sanitary zone. Doesn’t Mayor Anatoliy Lokot want to take action before the authorities’ questions to the mayor’s office become personal?
