Moscow's competition policy department will hold an online auction for 100 family burial plots located in 13 of the capital's cemeteries, it said in a statement Thursday.
The online auction will be held on Nov. 11 and Nov. 18 and prices for 3.6-square-meter plots will range from 226,000 rubles ($3,467) to 3.8 million rubles ($58,307), the department's head Gennady Dyogtyev was cited as saying in the statement.
The auction is part of a wider bid to improve the quality of the funeral services sector, the head of Moscow's trade and services department, Alexei Nemeryuk, was cited as saying in the statement. He added that potential buyers would soon be able to see 3-D images of the capital's cemeteries online.
Moscow's funeral services industry is widely regarded as corrupt, with many funeral agents taking advantage of the lack of regulation to demand kickbacks at every stage of the burial process.
In total, 12,000 plots located in 133 cemeteries will be put up for auction in the future, the statement said.
A Message from The Moscow Times:
Dear readers,
We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."
These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.
We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.
Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.
By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.
Remind me later.
