From Lenta.ru:
Muscovites can now book places in a cemetery on the internet
This was reported during a “hot line” interview, organised by Rossiskaya Gazeta by the deputy head of the Moscow department of trade and services, Andrey Marciy.
He pointed out that the facility will only be available for newly opened cemeteries. The service will be available to anyone organising a funeral, so booking a place while you are still alive will not be possible. According to Marciy, booking will probably be in the form of an electronic queue. As well, the paper’s source mentioned the possibility of booking cremations.
Marciy gave the example of the city-state of Singapore as an example of a town where there is a booking system in place for cemeteries, where it is possible to reserve a place via the city administration’s website.
At the moment, Troekurovskiy and Vostryakovskiy cemeteries are being expanded, Marciy explains. In the coming years, Domodedovskiy and Perepechinskiy cemeteries will also be expanded. In August 2012, it was also reported that, in the near future, Vagankovskiy and Novodevichiy cemeteries are expected to be expanded. There are more than 60 cemeteries across Moscow. Before 2014, Moscow will need 102.5 hectares of new land for graves.
Comments from VKontakte:
Daniil Kirichenko:
I hope that the MPs will give orphans discounts?
[Note: this is a joke about the Dima Yakovlev law.]
Aprim Tlat-Lishana:
Will there be free wireless in the cemetery?
Oleg Miroshnichenko:
WHAT JOY!
I CAN’T BELIEVE IT!
Andrey Konyaev:
Buy plots for your wife and yourself, and get plots for your children absolutely free!
Oleg Miroshnichenko:
BOUGHT ONE FOR THE MOTHER-IN-LAW, I’M HAPPY!
Wild Superegg:
The most pressing innovation in the Russian Federation.
Dmitry Filippov:
Can you pay by SMS?
[Note: payment by text message is a fairly common method of making small transactions in Russia.]
Ilya Todosov:
A plot of land for every family!
Nikita Davydov:
Well, at least you won’t have to queue up when you’re dead, thanks for that Putin …
Alexander Shilov: (responding to above)
Nikita, what’s Putin got to do with this?
Ivan Ivanov: (responding to above)
Alexander, who else??