Participants of rally in Gorodische ask President not to let incorporation of their settlement into Volgograd

An appeal to Russian President Vladimir Putin asking to help residents of the settlement of Gorodische in the Volgograd Region to overturn the decision to join the settlement to the city of Volgograd was adopted by the participants of the today's rally. In their opinion, the incorporation into the city will significantly damage the social status of Gorodische residents.

On Saturday, the rally was attended by 300 people. Their resolution demands from the local authorities to hold a referendum on the issue of incorporation, and until it is held, to suspend the preparation of documents relating to the incorporation procedure.

The incorporation of the centre of the Gorodische District to Volgograd is an extremely important issue for the locals, as Valery Luschai, a Deputy of the Gorodische City Duma and the first secretary of the District Committee of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation (CPRF), told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

"Earlier, our district was agricultural; now, only budget-funded institutions remain here. If we join Volgograd, they will be closed; most likely, the district hospital will be also closed; they say that the local social security and pension funds will also be liquidated," said Luschai.

According to his story, after in 2006 a number of settlements were annexed to Volgograd, the situation in them has worsened considerably. He added that the final word in such matters should always remain with local residents.