Moscow authorities are preparing for the New Year

On Thursday, December 16, 2010 in the Moscow mayor's office was held a meeting of the organizing committee in charge of organizing and conducting the New Year and Christmas celebrations in the capital. According to Deputy Mayor for social policy Lyudmila Shevtsova the New Year's festivities at Pervoprestolnaya will take place from 22:00 pm December 31 till 1:00 am January 1.

The main events will take place on Vasilievsky descent and Tverskaya Street, where will be held the only sanctioned New Year firework. According to Sergey Khudyakov, the head of the Moscow Department of Culture: "We have agreed on the main firework on Vasilievsky descent. But all the other organizers of the festivities I want to warn not to use pyrotechnics".

According to Ms. Shevtsova, security of the event during the celebrations will be specially monitored. Tverskaya Street at this time will operate exclusively in pedestrian mode and access for transport will be fully closed.

Ministry of Internal Affairs and Emergency services are tasked to make all efforts to avoid any emergencies. This explains the earnest entreaty to the organizers of entertainment spectacles "not to be tied to the chariot of the festive mood," as Mr. Khudyakov said, and to refrain from the use of pyrotechnics.

Also, special attention the police plans to pay to the control over migrant workers. Dmitry Deynichenko, Temporary Chief of Internal Affairs Public Safety Police of Moscow, said: "During the Christmas holidays workers are exempt from work, they go to the city center to the squares, which eventually turn into the Central Asian areas. We must pay attention to this issue to ensure security".

Heads of the organizations that employ migrant workers will be sent an order to "ensure fire safety in places of residence of workers and provide them with recreation, protecting their places of residence". Apart from that, from December 25 Moscow police service will operate in emergency mode.

To ensure the viewers of celebrations with possibility of getting home after them without problems, public transport on 1 and January 7, 2011 will run for an hour longer. Metro will operate until 02:00 am and ground transportation till 03:00 am. In addition, during the holidays will be organized three additional bus routes: Metro Krasnopresnenskaya - City Hall on Novy Arbat, metro station "South West" - the Olympic Village, Metro “Sportivnaya” - Luzhniki.