25 August 2010

Companies from the Basic Element Group have decided to restore, at their own cost, several villages in the Volga Federal District that were destroyed by wildfires this summer. New houses and public buildings will be built for victims of the fires.

Also, in conjunction with the Volnoe Delo Foundation, measures will be taken in the affected settlements to create jobs for local residents by developing small and medium businesses, modern social and cultural facilities will be built and cultural and sporting events staged on a permanent basis.

"RUSAL will help residents of a village in the Nizhny Novgorod Region, where more than 50 homes will be built by the middle of November. GAZ and the Russian Machines Group are restoring a village in Mordovia," said Oleg Deripaska, commenting on the initiative.

Deripaska also said: "There are old traditional villages, with one or two dwellings. Life there is not easy. Everything surrounding them has burned down, but residents still want to remain there. Some of our companies, including RUSAL, have decided to take villages like these under their stewardship and monitor how the restoration is progressing over the next three or four years. After all, they used to engage in hunting, forest treks, allotments. That has all burned down now. It is crucial to help people to restore their traditional ways."