City Beautifying Subbotnik Underway In Moscow

A day of voluntary work (subbotnik) for beautifying the city is underway in Moscow. Unlike the "Leninist communist subbotniks" of last years, today's is devoid of any ideological character. This tradition goes back 82 years. The first subbotnik was held on communist initiative on April 12, 1919 at the Moscow-Sortirovochnaya (shunting yard) railway depot, when people went out for voluntary free work. The RIA Novosti correspondent was told at the Moscow mayor's office that the first subbotnik this year was held a week ago and its participants were workers of municipal utilities services. Today work collectives of Moscow's enterprises and organisations, high school students, schoolchildren and city residents will do their voluntary stint. It is expected that about a million people, including 250,000 volunteers, will work in their neighbourhoods. Overall, 12,000 litter-disposal machines are expected to be used. As many as 5,000 young trees will be planted, 12,000 hectares of land and 400 hectares of lawns tidied up, house facades washed.

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