28 January 2009, 20:00
Action in defence of Lake Baskunchak held in Astrakhan Region
The youth organization named "Reference Point", which is close to the local branch of "Spravedlivaya Rossiya" (Fair Russia) in the Astrakhan Region, has held a picket in defence of Lake Baskunchak.
About 20 picketers have rallied opposite the offices of LUKOIL and "Astrakhanregiongas" with posters.
This was the way the picketers expressed their disagreement with the decision of Governor Alexander Zhilkin to cancel his ban on geological prospecting and explosive works, and development of the territory of the state wildlife reserve named "Bogdinsko- Baskunchakskiy".
The picket initiators assert that the cancellation of the ban will allow the company "Knauf-Plaster- Baskunchak" to start development of plaster deposit in the coastal site, which will destroy the ecological system of the Lake and damage the nearby underground caves.
Earlier, together with the ecologists, Oleg Shein, State Duma Deputy, voiced against the geological prospecting works of the "Knauf-Plaster- Baskunchak", and sent a respective application to the Nature Protection Prosecutor's Office.
Alexander Alymov, head of the "Reference Point", said that during the picket over 100 signatures were gathered under the appeal to Prime Minister Vladimir Putin with a demand to influence the regional government and persuade them to cancel their decision. The "Kommersant" writes that the regional government gave no comments on the action of the youth organization.
