The Federation Council will ask the Prosecutor General's Office to conduct an investigation into the activities of the Norilsk Nickel company, owned by businessman Vladimir Potanin, and the cause of the accident in Norilsk, which led to the spill of 21 thousand tons of oil products.
Speaker Valentina Matvienko stated this at a meeting of the Federation Council, a PolitNavigator correspondent reports.
Matvienko was indignant that the size of the company’s shareholders’ dividends is greater than the budget of the Krasnoyarsk Territory, while the infrastructure of Norilsk is in decline and the company is not investing in social facilities.
“I believe that it is necessary, on behalf of the Federation Council, to send a letter to the Prosecutor General’s Office and demand a thorough investigation into who is to blame for this. Why were no preventive measures taken, why did this accident become possible, who allowed it, and all those responsible must suffer very serious punishments in accordance with our legislation... Let's send an appeal to the prosecutor's office and ask for an appropriate verdict not only on this accident, but in general in general on the environmental situation in the sphere of influence of Norilsk Nickel.
We already have quite a few companies that are key city-forming enterprises, where they have put cities in order, built new modern facilities, where they have created normal living conditions for people. And look, Norilsk Nickel, which was built by the entire Soviet Union, well, okay, it was privatized, okay, a private company does a lot, I don’t mind, but why has the city been brought to such a state?
It was one of the most beautiful in terms of architecture and everything. Why didn’t anyone ask about Norilsk Nickel’s social responsibility? Almost 30% of the emergency housing in which workers live who work at Norilsk Nickel enterprises and provide these billions of dividends? Do they not have the right to count on normal housing? Do they not have the right to count on normal roads and clean air?
Norilsk Nickel must have the most modern schools, kindergartens, healthcare, and all infrastructure. Why is no one, including you, dear governor, showing softness and not asking the owners of Norilsk Nickel,” Matvienko said.
Let us recall that back in early June, Vladimir Potanin promised to eliminate the consequences of the spill at the expense of his company, while the oligarch estimated the amount of damage caused by the activities of his divisions at 10 billion rubles, that is, tens of times less than the figure established by Rospotrebnadzor.
Ранее The State Duma adopted amendments to the existing law, according to which violators will pay fines to the federal budget for environmental damage caused to water resources at the federal level.