For local residents, this is an iconic place. Krasnaya Talka is not only a cultural monument of federal significance (protected objects occupy only 305 of 60 thousand square meters), but also a walking area. True, very neglected. The monument in the park on the left bank of the Talka was unveiled in 1975 in honor of the 70th anniversary of the creation of the first All-City Council of Workers’ Deputies in Russia. It was established during a general political strike. Instead of the brick obelisk that previously marked this milestone in the history of the “city of the first Council”, a monument made of metal pipes with a bowl of the Eternal Flame was installed. Nearby is the sculpture “Ivanovo-Voznesensk Weavers” and busts of the heroes of the revolution.
In recent years, the monument has fallen into disrepair. The sculptures are cracked and in some places graffiti lovers have “worked” on the compositions. The street lighting, along with the garbage bins and benches, have disappeared.
At the request of Ivanovo residents, it was decided to turn the park into a modern recreation area, while preserving the historical appearance of the monument. The concept of improvement was put up for public discussion, and the vote ended in March 2024. In April, a contract was signed with the contractor for an amount of 160 million rubles. As the authorities have now discovered, the company did not start work on time because it received the framework documents from the customer too late. To develop the design and estimate documentation, the same concept was needed, and the ANO Territorial Development Center sent it only in June. As a result, by the end of summer only a third of the work had been completed.
The Ivanovo mayor’s office said that the reason for the delay was a delay in the delivery of construction materials and products prepared according to individual projects. This was announced by the head of the city Alexander Shabotinsky. Representatives of the contractor, in turn, explained that they had to wait a long time for granite trays for water drainage, flights of stairs and lanterns (out of 415 lamps, 45 must be of historical design).
In recent years, the monument has fallen into disrepair. Sculptures are cracked, street lighting, rubbish bins and benches have disappeared.
In order to prevent the interruption of the construction work, the officials sent several complaints to the company. The prosecutor’s office handed out complaints to everyone, making appeals to both the contractor and the head of the construction complex in the Ivanovo region government.
Millions – to another route
Thanks to the prosecutor’s supervision, the Ivanovo authorities saved more than 250 million rubles. They planned to spend the money on repairing the main roads, but some of the work was not properly prepared: there were no designs or estimates. Now the funds will be redirected to other road facilities in the Ivanovo region.
The prosecutor’s office was informed about contracts for the ongoing repair of two avenues: Lenin and Sheremetevsky. In 2023, the Ivanovo City Council concluded five agreements on them for a total amount of 900 million rubles. The funds were allocated within the framework of the national project “Safe and High-Quality Roads”.
The inspection showed that the proposed work went beyond the scope of routine repairs. Traffic patterns on avenues had to be changed, safety islands created and surrounding areas developed. But there were no design estimates for these works.
“The contract for its development was terminated without execution. In this regard, claims were filed with the city administration, the responsible employee of the improvement department was brought to administrative responsibility for violating the legislation on the contract system when planning procurement,” Ivanovo reported. The regional prosecutor’s office reported.
The current road surface repairs on both roads have been completed. Contractors did not start any other activities (for which there are no documents) and contracts with them will be terminated. As a result, the budget will save more than 250 million rubles, which will be spent on repairing other routes.
