DUSHANBE, January 18, 2012, Asia-Plus — All unauthorized structures at apartment buildings in Dushanbe will be demolished, Shavkat Saidov, a spokesman for the Dushanbe mayor’ office said.
According to him, the unauthorized structures will be demolished during subbotniks that will be carried out in the city weekly beginning on January 21. The subbotniks will be carried out until the Navrouz holiday (March 21).
Subbotnik (from Russian word ‘subbota’ for Saturday) is a day of volunteer work in the Soviet Union. The tradition is continued in modern Tajikistan and some other former Soviet Republics. Subbotniks are mostly organized for cleaning the streets of garbage, fixing public amenities, collecting recyclable material, and other community services.
We will recall that Tajikistan hosts International Navrouz Celebrations this year.
The United Nations General Assembly passed a resolution on 18 February, 2010 declaring March 21 International Navrouz Day. In September 2009, the UN”s cultural agency, UNESCO, included Navrouz in its list of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
