August 1, 2014. Karabashmed is starting to build new homes to relocate the local residents currently living within the plant’s sanitary protection zone. This is part of the company’s environmental program for 2010-2017. This program has been approved of by head of Chelyabinsk division of Rosprirodnadzor (the government environmental watchdog), by Mayor of Karabash, and by the Chairman of Karabash Deputy Assembly, Russian Copper Company’s PR Department reports.

Two sections of modern apartment buildings are expected to be put up within the next two years: eight three-storey buildings (with two entrances each) will appear in Shakhterskaya St, in the so-called new part of the town. There will be 240 apartments there altogether. The area around the buildings will be developed as well, so that the new quarter will become one of the showpiece parts of the town.

The actual construction process is to begin in the third quarter of 2014. The design has already been accepted by Karabash’s Chief Architect. The technicalities of the process are now being coordinated with the authorities and various governmental departments.

‘The budget we have for putting up housing for Karabash residents is about 170m RUR. It takes about a year to put up one section of the project,’ the company’s press service says.