Cutting Number of Time Zones Triggered Intense Public Interest

VLADIVOSTOK. November 18. VOSTOK-MEDIA – After Russian President Dmitry Medvedev supported the initiative to cut the number of time zones, which was put forward by the president of the Vladivostok State University of Economics and Service (VSUES), this issue has aroused considerable public interest, VSUES press service reports.

The working group consisting of Gennady Lazarev, president of VSUES, Deputy of the Legislative Assembly, Alexander Latkin, Alexander Latkin, head of the VSUES Institute of International Business and Economics, Vladimir Sozinov, professor of the Management Faculty of VSUES, Anatoly Belyaev, Deputy of the Legislative Assembly of Primorsky Krai, decided to hold a briefing before the regular session. At the briefing the project developers have answered some questions on economic feasibility of the project, advantages of the county management in condition of reduced time zones and the impact the cutting in time zones may have on health of Far East residents.

“I can see here we’ve got people representing the major Russian channels, Channel 5 & Russia Channel. I wonder how you communicate and coordinate with your head offices given the existing time differences?”” Gennady Lazarev addressed the reporters.

The reporters, who have to face the problem of coordination of activities with the Moscow- and St. Petersburg-based headquarters, made it clear how it grieves them.

“This may prove very effective in terms of the country management,” President of VSUES stated. “It would be far easier to manage the country once the number of time zones is cut. The Russian Far East is rapidly developing. As the RF Government has budgeted additional funds to cover airfare for Russian nationals travelling from Moscow to Vladivostok, the migration of population from east to west and backwards will be growing and the issue of adaptation will become more and more urgent.”

Anatoly Belyaev, Doctor of Medical Science, Deputy of the Legislative Assembly of Primorsky Krai, shared his views on the impact the cutting in time zones may bring to health of population:

“There is a two hour difference between Moscow Standard Time and Decree time. Therefore, if we turn clocks two hours back we will return to biologic time. If Primorsky Krai will not go on summer daylight saving time together with the rest of Russia in the coming year, and then shift to winter daylight saving time then there will be just five time zones between Moscow and the county’s Far East and we will live in biological time. In the long-term perspective such time changes will not cause any damage to health of the population.”

“If the number of time zones will be reduced to 4, we will simply return to the time system which was introduced in the early 20th century in USSR,” VSUES president stressed. “Then the difference between time zones was just four hours.”