Moscow authorities to drive wagons on graves

Pravda.Ru already reported that the Moscow government approved a plan for the construction of a family recreation center on the site of the ill-fated Transvaal Park water entertainment complex. According to Moscow's chief architect Alexander Kuzmin, the foundations will be fortified and a concrete framework with a few columns will be built. Mr. Kuzmin said that medical offices would be located inside the building while new swimming pools would be built outside.

Moscow mayor Yuri Luzhkov said that the plan would enable to build a facility with state-of-the-art swimming pool equipment. "The tragedy still grieves us deeply, but life goes on, and the decision that has been made is a way of balancing different points of view," said he. Mr. Luzhkov promised that a new center will be kept quiet and decent, without any "noisy fun" going on the premises of the former aquapark.

Meanwhile, Igor Trunov, a lawyer representing victims of the Tranvaal Park tragedy, called the construction of the center "an immoral act." "In accordance with traditions of the Russian Orthodox Church, the Moscow authorities should have built a church on that location. Instead, they are going to build a swimming pool. It's a shame that money means a lot more to the Moscow government than moral principles," said Mr. Trunov.