Alexander Kolotov made a speech at public hearings

Press Release, 5.12.2017

The draft budget of the city of Krasnoyarsk for 2018 shows that creation of an eco-friendly urban environment is still not a priority goal in the city administration policies. This was stated by Alexander Kolotov, Vice-Chairman of the Krasnoyarsk regional branch of Yabloko at today’s Krasnoyarsk public hearings on the draft budget of the city for the next year.

“ As it was last year, the list of municipal programmes doesn’t contain a special programme that would make Krasnoyarsk a greener city”, Kolotov said. “We can hear that the next year it is planned to plant 12,000 large-sized trees, but the official volume of compensating plantations instead of the trees cut down for Universiada-2019 shall be 88,000 units of green plantings. When will they be planted? For what money? Who will provide a three-year care of them, as it is prescribed in the Governor’s order?”

Alexander Kolotov noted that the measures for protection of nature within the subprogramme “Maintenance and Repair of Beautification Objects, Objects of the Head Office on Civil Defense, Emergency Situations and Fire Prevention” of the municipal programme “Development of the Housing and Public Utilities Sector and the Road and Traffic Complex of the City of Krasnoyarsk” for 2018 and 2019-2020 envisage allocation of only 3,700,000 roubles, that makes only 0.01% of the total budget expenses of the city of Krasnoyarsk for 2018. It is planned to allocate 439,700,000 roubles (1.56% of the total planned budget expenses of the city of Krasnoyarsk for 2018) for the maintenance of environmental objects and other beautification objects within the same subprogramme, which is insignificantly higher than in the last year budget (cf., 347,910,000 roubles and 1.37% of the total city budget).

“It is necessary to understand that these scanty one and a half percent of the budget will not be completely spent on the maintenance of green plantations, but will be ‘scattered’ among other city beautification object”, Kolotov noted.

In conclusion of his speech Vice Chair of the Krasnoyarsk regional branch of Yabloko made specific proposals on the draft budget of Krasnoyarsk for 2018 and 2019-2020:

1. to develop a separate municipal programme targeted at improvement of environmental situation in Krasnoyarsk and envisaging implementation of all the provisions of the Krasnoyarsk Governor’s order No 248-RG, dated 26.05.2015 “On measures for Protection of Green Plantings Located in the City of Krasnoyarsk Within the Period of Preparation and Holding of the 29th World Winter Universiada 2019», and ensure its financing.

2. to broaden the list and volume of financing of environmental protection measures and increase expenses for the maintenance of “green” objects within the municipal programme “Development of Housing and Public Utilities Sector and the Road and Traffic Complex of the City of Krasnoyarsk».

3. to allocate the separate item of expenditure “Protection of Environment” in departmental structure of budget expenditure of administrations of city districts.

4. keeping in mind encouragement and support of public initiatives aimed at making the urban environment of the city of Krasnoyarsk more eco-friendly, to significantly increase the volume of subsidies for socially oriented non-commercial organisations, that are not public (municipal) institutions, for the purpose of compensation of part of their expenses connected with their implementation of environmental projects.