Residents Of Minsk District Hrushauka Gathered For Spontaneous Rally

Minskers claim that the authorities treat them as if they are "Indians living in a reservation."

Residents of two dozen private wooden houses located in the center of Minsk in a part of Razinskaya street and in three lanes – Tallinski, 6th and 7th Chyhunachny, – gathered at a spontaneous meeting, Radio Racyja informs.

The reason became the paper they had received from the Maskouski executive committee saying that the demolition of their houses, which do not even have the usual utilities – heating, water supply and sanitation, had been cancelled.

With that the authorities have been promising to resettle the several hundred residents in a civilized housing for decades. At this time, the inhabitants of the "lanes" as they call themselves, were not talking about their life in the criss-cross wretched houses with leaky roofs, which they openly call "swinish," but about the "swinish" behavior of the authorities towards them. The latter banned the construction on their plots of land.

Siarhei Kabanau, who has lived here for 40 years, started the rally.

"We are told that the only way is to find a sponsor, who would have bought this piece of land. But who would like to buy a square meter for 2 million rubles, given the huge taxes of up to 20%. They build agro-towns for ostentation, but made Harlem slums in the center of Minsk! It’s only three stops from the main post office! And how do you live, no one cares," – a Hrushauka resident said.

About half dozen people, who gathered from surrounding houses, joined the rally.

"We’ve been to the executive committee, – they say to paint the houses and to patch the holes in order to improve the appearance. They call even not to work, but to live "for show" as in Soviet times. Yesterday I read in the newspaper that 26 square meters fall within an average Belarusian, and It will rise to 30 in 2017 – who is it about? From the times of the USSR, as "elections" come, they tell us that our houses will be demolished and we will be given good apartments in return. But once a candidate is elected, everything is forgotten... Most of our houses were built in the 50-ies of the last century. The overhaul has never been done. There is no even any fire protection. If it sets on fire – we will burst into flames together! Even though there's a fire station nearby, they don't raise the issue. And the wiring is rotten – any arc and that will be it! We are closed here. I asked the head of the executive committee if they had deliberately hid us between the skyscrapers, like Indians in a reservation. I pay 500 thousand of Belarusian rubles (ednote: non-denominated) for boiler. They collect money for overhaul. But there has never been any overhaul – we do everything ourselves. I asked them what was included in the overhaul? They said – garbage removal. As if they don't know that garbage removal is paid separately," – angry residents of Hrushauka said at the rally.

– Have you achieved anything over these years?

– Nothing, it's hopeless... there's no hope...

Hrushauka dwellers are particularly outraged at the fact that their fragile houses stand near a sports complex and a hostel of the Academy of Management under Lukashenka's administration, luxury apartments of the hotel "Comfort" and one kilometer from the capital's main post office. And they won't believe another paper from the officials.