“Nobody cares”: a resident of an emergency barracks was offered an apartment with a bucket instead of a toilet

Former kindergarten teacher, 72-year-old Albina Smirnova from the village of Koblyakovo, Irkutsk region, has been waiting for relocation from a dilapidated and dilapidated apartment barracks since 2018. There is no heating in her house, there is no light in the entrance, the pipes are rotten, there is fungus and mold on the walls, the stairs could crumble at any moment.

In September, we talked about the situation, after which the Investigative Committee opened a criminal case under the article “negligence.” They began to look for the guilty. The prosecutor’s office carried out checks. Local authorities promised to help the pensioner.

5 months later, Smirnova still lives in a dilapidated wooden barracks.

The granddaughter of Albina Smirnova told what is happening now.

“We have no changes, except that they are constantly called to different authorities and inspections do not stop,” says the granddaughter of the pensioner, Alla Metlyaeva. – I never stop turning to Bastrykin. After another complaint, the local investigative committee contacted me and asked me to come to them. The mayor of the Bratsk district met me there. He reported to the investigators that he could not do anything because the law prohibited it.

The official commented on the hopelessness of the situation to the local TV channel. According to him, the house, which was declared unsafe in 2018, must be resettled only in 2025, as required by federal law: “We cannot do it any earlier. The regulatory authorities will come to me and say, on what basis did you do this?” And he added: “A large number of housing, not only in our Bratsk district, are in an emergency situation.”

In the story, the mayor mentioned that Albina Mikhailovna was offered options: two rooms in a dorm. I was sincerely surprised why the woman was not satisfied with these options.

– I looked at the apartments where my grandmother was offered to move. There were three in total. One without heating, toilet and water. Residents relieve themselves in a bucket. The pipes there are rusty, the ceilings are cracked, the floors are creaking,” says Alla. – The other proposed rooms are in a dormitory, essentially communal apartments. There is also quiet horror there. When we came to see them, the residents began asking us to help with relocation. People decided that we were from the verification commission.

Alla sent me photographs from those apartments. There is nothing left to repair there. It’s easier for everything to fall apart.

When officials realized that the problem could not be solved, the mayor offered to buy the grandmother a house. What he wrote about in his telegram channel: “We have found a comfortable apartment for temporary residence, which we will purchase as the property of the municipality, as a flexible fund.” The entry is dated February 2. There is still no apartment.

“The mayor also promised us this apartment in the presence of the investigator with whom I spoke,” Alla continues. “He said that I actually found a good house for your grandmother in Koblyakovo a long time ago.” He was hopeful that my grandmother would live there until the resettlement program began. I asked our lawyer to go there for approval. Three weeks ago, there was silence about the house. And there is nothing decent for sale in the village. Apparently, he said it for the sake of a nice word. This is important to him before the elections. And a couple of days ago my grandmother received a letter where she was again offered that same apartment with a bucket instead of a toilet.

While local authorities are wondering how to get out of the situation, the Investigative Committee opened a criminal case.

— As far as I know, most likely, the former head of the administration, who is now 72 years old, will be guilty. She is charged with negligence and abuse of power. Allegedly, in those years she was obliged to install two-story barracks for resettlement, but it seems that she deliberately did not do this. She will probably be punished alone. I’m not going to defend her, but obviously other people were involved in these matters…

On the day when we spoke with Alla, it became known that her Albina Mikhailovna received an official notification from the main department of the Federal Bailiff Service for the Irkutsk Region. The letter stated that if the woman refuses the proposed apartment options, she will be left without everything. Smirnova was accused of interfering with the execution of the court decision: “In the event of further obstruction, which is expressed in an unfounded refusal, the executive document will be returned without further execution.”

“They are outraged that she doesn’t want to live in a house where there is a bucket instead of a toilet and the floors are falling through.” My grandmother is already losing her nerves and is on sedatives. I continue to write to the governor on his official pages in the neighbors. Zero reaction. It feels like no one cares.

To Bastrykin’s last appeal on social networks, Alla received a response from the information center of the Russian Investigative Committee: “The Chairman of the Russian Investigative Committee requested a report on the progress of the investigation of the criminal case, as well as on the reasons for the red tape committed in it.”

“I’m probably naive, but I still hope that grandma is not fighting in vain.” I believe that fate should smile on her,” Alla added.