Meeting in memory of Chernobyl victims to be held in Rostov-on-Don

Today, Rostov-on-Don will mark another anniversary of the accident at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant. The mournful meeting will take place near the city's monument to tragedy victims.

According to the Ministry of Labour and Social Development of the Rostov Region, the regional social care bodies now register a total of 8153 liquidators of the Chernobyl accident consequences. 4876 persons among them became invalids after their participation in the liquidation.

During the 22 years that passed after the Chernobyl accident, more than three thousand liquidators from the Rostov Region area have already died from various illnesses caused by received radiation dozes.

The "Caucasian Knot" correspondent was informed at the Ministry that Chernobyl invalids are provided the right of free-of-charge travel by city and intraregional routes under the single passage ticket. Last year, over 600 Chernobyl invalids were sent to sanatoria for social insurance funds.

The most acute problem for liquidators is the housing one. Over two thousand citizens who had suffered from Chernobyl radiation are still on the waiting list for social lodgings. Today, this problem is solved by the federal centre through issuance of housing certificates. During recent five years 180 families of Chernobyl liquidators have improved their living conditions, this year 117 families will also get their housing certificates.

For a long time the administration of the Region has been dealing, together with the regional "Soyuz-Chernobyl" organization, with the problem of monetary compensations under court judgements. In 2007, the debts exceeded 600 million roubles. According to the President's assignment, the debts were completely repaid in December 2007, not only to liquidators of the Rostov Region, but also in other regions of the Russian Federation.

The "Caucasian Knot" has already informed that today the city of Pyatigorsk, Stavropol Territory, will open the Chernobyl Liquidators' Memorial Museum. The Museum is located in the office of the local branch of the "Soyuz-Chernobyl" organization.