In Bashkiria, an environmental rally was not approved 20 times in two months: an activist’s story

Kambarka is a small town on the border of Udmurtia and Bashkortostan. Kambarka is located 15 kilometers from our city, Neftekamsk. Near Kambarka, they decided to repurpose a plant that processed chemicals. Now there will be not only a chemical plant, but also a landfill for the disposal of waste of the first and second hazard classes: waste containing mercury, oil, as well as batteries and more.

They say that 50 thousand tons of waste will be processed per year. This is a huge number. There is a possibility that the waste will simply be burned, which is very harmful to the environment. In addition, the Kama River flows next to the plant. If waste flows into the river, many regions will be affected.

The first rallies took place in July in Kambarka and Neftekamsk. Initiative groups against this plant also appeared in Izhevsk and Sarapul. Our first meeting on the issue of the plant in Kambarka in July was coordinated without any problems. The head of Neftekamsk spoke at the rally and said that he agreed with the position of the residents and advocated for the plant not to threaten the environment.

But then we submitted twenty times in September and October notices for meetings on this issue, and each time our applications were rejected. Allegedly, every time they applied for a rally in the same place at the same time before us. Applications for the shares were submitted by people from Industry LLC , which works closely with the administration of Neftekamsk. If the city needs some construction work, Industry will most likely win the tender.

We announced a rally against the repurposing of the plant in Kambarka, and people from Industry held a rally on the topic of garbage reform. “Industry” with a request for a rally always turned out to be earlier than us, because we do not put an incoming number on the received notice of a rally. They say registration of a notice of a rally is carried out throughout the day. This allows officials to claim that someone submitted their application on the same day, but supposedly earlier.

Neftekamsk has a population of 140 thousand, there are many squares in the city, but there is a decree from the Neftekamsk administration that all rallies must be held next to the Oktyabr cinema. Industry does not hold any rallies, although it has even promised in court that it will. According to a recently adopted law , if a rally is canceled, the organizers must publicly notify it. Nothing of the kind was done.

On the Kambarka issue, the Communist Party of the Russian Federation allowed a rally only in Ufa (the capital of Bashkortostan - OVD-Info ), but not in Neftekamsk. And the organizer of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation rally on November 7 in Neftekamsk received a notification from the government of the Republic of Bashkortostan that the plant in Kambarka, the problem with drinking water in Neftekamsk and pension reform cannot be discussed at the city rally. Because this would be a deviation from the stated theme of the rally - the anniversary of the October Revolution and the social situation in Russia.

The topics of drinking water and Kambarka were nevertheless raised at the rally on November 7 in Neftekamsk. The police did not prevent this, but the police prohibited one of the activists from wearing a T-shirt with a slogan against the plant.

A new clan has come to power in Neftekamsk, I think they are afraid of rallies: they are afraid that it will create the impression that not everything is in order in the city.

UPD 15:58: Aidar Bayanov was mistakenly called the organizer of the action, so the title of the material has been changed.