Support The Moscow Times!

New Highway Clash

Residents of several villages in the Tver region have appealed to President Dmitry Medvedev to change construction plans for a new Moscow-St. Petersburg highway that require the demolition of about 50 houses, Moskovsky Komsomolets reported Wednesday.

The highway, already mired in a scandal over the partial destruction of the Khimki forest, is to pass through the Velmogovo, Medvedkovo and Reshetnikovo villages.

Village administration officials have refused to approve the plan, which has not been discussed with residents, the report said. About 300 locals petitioned Medvedev to change the route.

An alternative route was axed by Medvedev’s predecessor, Vladimir Putin, in 2007 because it passed through the outskirts of the Zavidovo wildlife reserve that houses a presidential residence, the report said.

(MT)


Read more