MOSCOW. Feb 5 (Interfax-AVN) - The 2002 federal budget allocates over RUB1.6bn (USD52.03m) for the maintenance of temporary stationing points for Chechen refugees, a spokesman for the administration of the State Duma lower of parliament told Interfax-Military News Agency on Tuesday.
The sum is three times larger than it was in 2001. The information on the matter was provided by Deputy Prime Minister Viktor Khristenko in response to the parliamentary inquiry on the measures being taken by the Russian government for the restoration of Chechnya.
At present the breakaway republic has 11 temporary stationing points. The Assinovksaya village hosts one of them, the Znamenskaya village and the town of Gudermes are hosting two points each, and the localities of Sernovodsk and Argun are hosting three points each. A total of 13,500 refugees are staying at the points. Nine of those points housing some 7,600 people are capital installations fitted with infrastructure needed to survive in winter.
The neighboring autonomous republic of Ingushetia hosts six temporary points comprising 2,269 camps and 40 buildings. A total of 32,000 refugees are residing there.