Kommersant: "No More Restraints on Financing Rural Roads"
"What I mean first of all is maintaining and repairing rural roads, upgrading the public amenities in all populated localities in Russia, and, finally, repairing the roads inside our cities and towns," he said. "Amendments to the Budget Code, and other laws will be required. I ask the United Russia faction in the State Duma to treat these as priorities," (a RIA-Novosti quote). Federal and regional road funds will be established next year. (In 2012, the regional funds will have a total of 391 billion roubles allocated to them, and this figure is set to reach 471 billion in 2013.)
Vladimir Putin stressed that rural roads were the key to social infrastructure accessibility for people living in the countryside. Nearly 46,000 communities today lack year-round access paved roads. He announced changes to the system of road funding during a meeting with the heads of the Federation Council last week. United Russia had drawn up amendments to the draft budget for 2012-2014 to authorise the spending of 15% of regional road funds (approximately 130 billion roubles) over the next two years for the upgrading of courtyard areas and the construction of rural roads.
Irina Parfentyeva
