OREANDA-NEWS. May 19, 2008. As of today, over 400 families from the village of Muslumovo (Chelyabinsk region) have received 1,000,000 RUR compensation for their old houses. 626 families have expressed wish to leave the village. 

To remind, in Nov 2006 Rosatom and the Government of Chelyabinsk region agreed to jointly finance the program to solve the ecological problems of Techa River and the social problems of the village of Muslumovo. Under the program Rosatom buys the houses of the local residents for 1,000,000 RUR apiece so they can leave the village and buy new houses in other places.

As of today, former residents of Muslumovo have bought 150 flats in Chelyabinsk, 15 flats in Kopeysk, 11 flats in Kunashaksky, 8 flats in Krasnoarmeysky districts of Chelyabinsk region. Several families have moved to the Republic of Bashkortostan and Kurgan region. In 2008 220 families will move to new modern houses in Novomuslumovo, a new residential area that is being build by the authorities of Chelyabinsk region. The government of the region organizes the construction of all new houses and finances the creation of infrastructure for all people wishing to move to Novomuslumovo.

To remind, Techa River and the village of Muslumovo suffered from a Soviet defense project in the 1950s. As a result, theoretically, the residents of Muslumovo receive an effective radiation dose of 1 mSv and more a year, which is more than allowed in the Russian Federation.

The existing legislation says that the residents of Muslumovo are not subject to evacuation or compulsory resettlement.

However, in the last 20 years the federal and regional authorities have repeatedly tried to resettle the people.

Under the present project the authorities buy 741 households for 1,000,000 RUR each. The householders can use the money to buy houses wherever they like.