Grodna to protest against its historical part ruining :: Charter'97 :: News

24 April activists of the United Civil Party Yuri Istomin, Uladzimir Larin and Viktar Panchanka applied to the Grodna Executive Committee for the permission of holding several pickets 11 May 2007.

According to chairman of the Grodna regional organization of the United Civil Party Yuri Istomin, the exit sitting of the scientific methodological council headed by deputy minister of culture Uladzimir Gridushka was held in the Grodna Executive Committee. The sitting was aimed at official approval of the drafts of the Grodna authorities on dismantling of 40 buildings in the city center, in the so-called protected area.

“The true intensions of the authorities to sold out the historical center of the city were also announced there, Yuri Istomin pointed out in his interview with the press service of the UCP. Those sites were reported to have the Minsk and Russian investors. We can’t permit changing of the authentic historical outlook of Grodna similar to Shklou and the like. That is why we are going to protest”.

The action applicants stress that dismantling of the historical center of the city will decrease the investment attractiveness of Grodna as a tourist center. ”It seems that the initiators of a such like ”reconstruction» are strangers here who think only of mending the budget holes but not of the city inhabitants future”, Uladzimir Larin said.

The UCP activists declare that the action is not going to be only the party action but it is directed to uniting all political and civil forces in the city. “We, the Grodna nationals, are eager to live in our native beautiful city with its original architecture and history, Viktar Panchanka said. The streets of the historical center should not be turned into gigantic avenues of Minsk or Magiliou. We call all the Grodna nationals for participating in the action announced by us. Our city’s tomorrow depends only on us”.

According to the application submitted to the Grodna Executive Committee several pickets are to be held in Grodna. The first one is going to take place at 7-27 Gorky Street, the second- on the opposite side of Gorky Street along the street next to the “Nyoman “ Stadium and the third one along Dzyarzhinsky Street near the recreation and culture park named after Zheliber. In the place of the third picket the permanent center for collecting signatures is to be installed.

“When announcing the action we were guided by two principles. Firstly, it is the place allowed by the Grodna Executive Committee for conducting actions. Secondly, this place is maximally close to the area of envisaged dismantling”, Yuri Istomin said. According to him, the pickets’ participants carrying posters and photos of the historical places are to stand in chain. The collection of signatures will be conducted under the appeal to the local authorities and President’s administration for renouncing the decision on dismantling of the historical center of the city.