'All the construction work done within the framework of preparations for the upcoming Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Yekaterinburg meets all the town planning and land code requirements. All the projects are subject to very strict control and expert assessment by both the regional and federal authorities. Only after the project has been approved of by the officials and experts and the land has been officially allotted for it, can the city’s construction authorities allow the building process to start,’ the spokesperson for the Mayor Konstantin Pudov reports.

According to Mr. Pudov, the municipal council demands that the builders have all the above-mentioned documents, and perpetrators will be punished with fines, sanctions, or even a total ban on construction.

'Everything that is being put up for the summit is monitored by the Governor and the Mayor, so there is no question of illegal construction or anything like this. That these projects need to be considered and approved of faster is another question,’ Mr. Pudov said.