Spring cleaning in Moscow begins

Spring cleaning in Moscow begins As the season changes and the ice thaws, small armies of city workers have fanned out across Moscow, to scrub and sweep the city from top to bottom. At this bank its time for new tiles to go on the outdoor steps. Moscow's city government says nearly 2 million foreign workers are registered here. In straight lines 10 people across, they work their way across Moscow's parks, or on the side of the roads, planting flowers that transform the dull grey of winter into a colourful spring. One day soon, a line of migrant labourers will make their way to that patch of grass. Just weeks ago, there was still snow on the ground. And the annual clean up is in full swing. No task is too small for Moscow's spring clean. And one by one, every cigarette butt will be picked up. After the harsh winter months, the whole city seems to wait until the last snow falls, then, it springs into action; small armies of city workers, many of them migrants, scrub, paint, plant and sweep the city from top to bottom. That is what five months worth of winter grime being blasted from Moscow's streets sounds like. As the snow disappears, the remnants of winter emerge. Next to our office building, there's a grass covered median between the footpath and Kutuzovsky Prospekt, one of the main routes into central Moscow. The pay isn't much better than meagre. But they will not be there for long. Most of those doing the work are migrant labourers from Central Asia and the Caucasus. And in Moscow there's nothing 'little' about it. At Park Pobedy, or Park Victory, a giant floral arrangement spells Moscow on the side of a hill. All over the city, rows of familiar orange coloured trucks are slowing traffic to a crawl, spraying powerful jets of water to sweep the roads clean. Lane markings that had gradually been scraped off by snow ploughs over the winter, making driving even more of a guessing game than usual, are increasingly being repainted. Outside every restaurant worth its salt in the city crews are rushing with wood and metal to erect outdoor seating areas. Spring cleaning in Moscow begins Trade News selected by Local Linkup on 29/04/2012