Komsomolskaya Pravda: “Putin to miners: Did you dress up for me?”
Prime minister suggests checking legitimacy of land allocation.
Volgograd welcomed Prime Minister Vladimir Putin with stifling heat as temperatures closed in on 30 C. From the airport, he proceeded directly to the Gremyachinskoye potassium salt deposits.
This large deposit of valuable potassium used for fertiliser production, was recently discovered in the steppe hundreds of kilometers away from Volgograd. Dmitry Strezhnev, director general of EuroChem, accompanied Putin to the site talking excitedly about a unique project the company is developing there and how this project will benefit Russia. This deposit can be worked for up to 70 years to meet Russia's internal demand and ensure exports.
The mine will be built using cutting-edge technology, fast and cheap. But Russian law is lagging behind the progress of technology. We are working with our European partners, using their technology, and yet Russian construction standards are not in line with western standards, Strezhnev complained.
"What are the temperature extremes here?" Putin asked touching the executive's arm.
"Minus 40 C in winter and 50 C in summer," Strezhnev said, slightly put out.
"You see? European temperatures are milder," Putin smiled.
"But in Canada..." Strezhnev began again.
"Canada isn't in Europe," Putin cut him off.
Yet, generally, EuroChem's project is going well. Only, a little more money from the federal budget would help, Strezhnev hinted.
"Are you sure the money should come from the federal budget?" Putin asked.
"The money is needed to build social services," the executive began to explain, showing the prime minister a mockup of the planned township of Kotelnikovo.
"We will build a kindergarten here, a school here and a hospital there," he explained pressing buttons which lit tiny lights on the respective mockup buildings.
However, his audience and even the prime minister were concentrating less on the lights, than they were on an outsized fly that landed exactly where the entertainment centre would be built.
"And we'll build an airfield there," Putin said snapping the fly away.
Everybody laughed, killing the effect of Strezhnev's pompous speech.
Putin's guides showed him the entrance to the mine, described the process of development and introduced the workers to him.
"These are our best people," the EuroChem director said with regained pathos.
"Do you always look like this? Or did you dress up for me?" Putin said smiling.
The workers assured him they always dressed well, and liked it there. Their salaries are good and they will soon have new homes.
After that Putin went to review the construction site for an apartment block for military servicemen. The project is part of a federal programme.
As he was leaving the site, Putin was stopped by "Afro-Russian" Joachim Ritu Kabi Krima, a native of Guinea-Bissau currently selling vegetables in a small town not far from Volgograd. His escort told the prime minister that Krima had repaired a road in his town using construction waste – asphalt and brick rubble bought from a road construction team for money he collected with his neighbours.
Now Joachim wants to name it Putin Road, because advanced technology was used and Putin is a very advanced person, in his opinion. The prime minister praised the innovator and said they would meet again.
Putin then chaired a meeting of the government's regional development commission. Hearing complaints from business leaders, he proposed asking prosecution authorities to check the legitimacy of land allocation for construction projects.
By Nigina Beroyeva
