Residents of the Energetik microdistrict in Ulan-Ude were not allowed to attend public hearings at which the issue of converting 162 hectares of forest into land for building a colony for three thousand people was discussed. This was reported by the publication “People of Baikal”.
According to activists, an hour before the start of the hearing, the hall where the event was supposed to take place was filled with state employees and security officials. The police placed metal barriers in front of the door to the lobby of the premises. In addition, residents of the microdistrict were unable to attend the hearings due to a barrier of people in military uniform and with machine guns.
“The situation at public hearings in Ulan-Ude has reached the point of absurdity. Everyone in the assembly hall is in favor of the construction of a mega-colony; those in the lobby, who were not allowed in and there were no seats, are against it. Whether this can be considered a public hearing is a big question,” People of Baikal quotes one of the local residents.
According to the deputy head of the administration of the Oktyabrsky district of Ulan-Ude, Pyotr Kasyanov, people were not allowed to attend the public hearings due to fire safety rules. He claimed that the hall was full, there were 280 people in it.
The authorities are planning to build a “hybrid colony” next to the Energetik microdistrict in Ulan-Ude, which will include a pre-trial detention center, general and strict regime colonies, as well as a hotel for relatives of prisoners. Local residents are convinced that the new correctional facility will benefit them — they promise to install a new water supply system in the area, update roads and launch a tram line. At the same time, people oppose such an object near their homes.
Dozens of Energetka residents remain in the foyer, who were never allowed to attend the public hearing.
People shouting “shame” to the riot police officers with machine guns who guard the entrance to the hall. A scuffle also broke out at the entrance with police officers. https://t.co/59QuarVmqr pic.twitter.com/uJ4QCNMMSs
— People of Baikal (@BaikalPeople) May 8, 2024