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Pollution Halts Moscow City Construction
Rosprirodnadzor, the Russian Federal Resources Supervisory Service, imposed a five-day ban on construction activities in two lots at the construction site of the $12-billion Moscow City complex due to runoff into the Moscow River. The agency also applied to the court to have a three-month ban placed on construction there. Rosprirodnadzor deputy chairman Oleg Mitvol estimated the losses caused by construction activities at 100 million rubles.
Charges could be filed under article 250 (“Water Pollution”) of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation as well as a result of an investigation begun yesterday, the Prosecutor General's Office press service reports. That would hold up construction an entire year. Ecological violations were found earlier this year at the construction site as well.
A Rosprirodnadzor inspection last week uncovered an area of the Moscow River bed measuring 1800 sq. m. near Krasnopresnenskaya Embankment where sediment had reduced the river's depth from 1.5 m. to 20 cm., causing a significant threat to shipping. Analysis showed the sediment to be a concrete-based substance used in construction. Rosprirodnadzor considers Moscow City lots 14 and 15 its source.
Construction on lot 14 is being carried out by the Turkish RASEN Construction firm on contract from ZAO Mercury City Tower. A 75-story, 159,000 sq. m. business-and-residential building is going up on that site. Lot 15 is the site of the new administrative buildings for the City of Moscow, which will have a total area of 623,000 sq. m. Although the investors in that project have never been officially defined, Rosprirodnadzor filed its claims against the MSM-1 Co.
ZAO Mercury City Tower told Kommersant yesterday that it was banned only from releasing water from the construction site. RASEN Construction said that it had an agreement with the state Mosvodostok on water quality.
www.kommersant.com
All the Article in Russian as of July 03, 2007
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