- Title: RUSSIA: Capital of war-torn Chechnya gets a new look
- Date: 1st July 2008
- Summary: PEOPLE NEAR FOUNTAIN
- Embargoed: 16th July 2008 13:00
- Keywords:
- Topics: War / Fighting,Light / Amusing / Unusual / Quirky
- Reuters ID: LVACYLCL63UIN0B0PSJFK928Z35M
- Story Text: Chechnya capital Grozny is being rebuilt at record speed, with financial help from the Kremlin.
Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov wants to make Grozny known for its roses and maples, as the once war-torn capital is being rebuild at record speed with financial help from Moscow.
Kadyrov is not just rebuilding but changing the look of the city, which only a few years ago was often compared to Stalingrad.
Since 1994 two wars fought by Russian forces against rebels in Chechnya turned the bustling city of Grozny into rubble. The enormous scale of the devastation prompted the United Nations to call Grozny the most destroyed city on earth in 2003.
But the city is coming back to life with remarkable speed.
Now roses bloom, fountains spray water in its squares and several maple avenues grace the centre of Grozny, which two years ago, just had one set of traffic lights.
Supermarkets, billiard halls, a movie theatre and restaurants have been built, and a small hotel is attached to the rebuilt airport.
The Kremlin wants to portray the conflict with Chechnya as finished and has promoted its candidate, 31-year-old, wrestling fan and former rebel -- Kadyrov as president.
Moscow appears to have granted him a blank cheque for the reconstruction effort which is transforming the city. The whole city seems to be a construction site, with apartment blocks rising everywhere and streets ripped open to lay pipes or to be paved.
Railway communication has been restored in the republic and Grozny's Severny airport was reopened in 2007. Electricity has been restored almost everywhere in Chechnya, though gas and running water are still missing in many houses.
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin promised in June to allocate, for the social and economic development of Chechnya, over 120 billion roubles in 2008-2011.
Kadyrov, often accused of violating human rights and ruling Chechnya in a dictatorial way, is praised by both, his supporters and opponents, for his efforts in rebuilding Grozny.
"The city has changed and is changing very fast. It is easy to see how the city has changed in the period from 2000 to 2008," said Ilyas Laluyev, an industrial alpinist who's work is in increasing demand in Grozny.
"The city has been built very quickly after Ramzan Kadyrov became president, every day the city becomes more and more beautiful, new prospects and alleys appear," said Kharon Denayev, a Grozny resident.
Kadyrov critics often say that the newly-built houses have only nice facades and lack running water, sewage or heating. But Madina Astamirova, a teacher from Grozny, says the opposite.
"My house is an ordinary one, which was rebuilt after the war, but what's interesting is that we have running water, even hot water, and we didn't have it here the last 10 years," said Madina.
With Kremlin money Kadyrov is rebuilding Grozny and promotes it as a peaceful capital in another peaceful Russian region. But violence still flares in Chechnya and clashes between the Russian forces and rebels happen every week.
There are still signs of tight security on Grozny streets. Several checkpoints, manned with Russian troops are scattered through the city and armed policemen check documents and vehicles at busy road-crossings.
But in the evenings, the streets are quiet and clotted with people, who hope that Grozny will become known as the: "city of roses and maples", instead of the Stalingrad or Hiroshima of the 21st century. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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