By Igor NAUMOV
Astrakhan to have the best airport on the Caspian coast
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin spent a day in Astrakhan to have a look at preparations for the city's 450th anniversary, due October 5. There is no chance to commission many planned projects-modernisation of the highways, the bridges and the regional airport among them-before the deadline, so Mr Putin demanded construction and reconstruction to proceed at the previous pace after the celebration.
"Social, economic and urban improvements were initiated for the jubilee. They must go on after it. What has been done is the basis for further development of the city and the whole region. You should not rest on your laurels," the Prime Minister said in an opening address to a meeting he chaired.
He said that the city had been a Russian strategic outpost on the Caspian for centuries. "It is hard to overestimate the cultural and historical role of Astrakhan. It has also long played an outstanding part in the national economy and foreign trade." Its formidable geopolitical and industrial potential and efficient workforce "are able to make the Astrakhan Region one of the leaders of socio-economic progress of the entire Russian south."
The decision to celebrate the city jubilee was made in 2005. As Mr Putin said, the principal goal was to focus federal, regional and municipal resources on the improvement of utilities, transport and the social infrastructure. Astrakhan received 26 billion roubles from the budget plus 100 billion roubles from non-budgetary target allocations.
The Prime Minister saw work on the most important projects coming to a finish on schedule-streets and bridges are repaired and tidied up, canals cleaned, and highways and embankments rebuilt. The airport and health facilities are upgraded, and the Astrakhan Kremlin and other historic monuments are under repair.
Several road-building projects, including the essential North Loop, an encircling highway outside the city, are to be finished by 2015. Building the North Loop will cost 17 billion roubles with 20 km of highway and bridge crossings of 2.5 km total length.
Not all projects are progressing at due pace. There are problems, in particular, with the Privolzhye Airport. It will open by October 1 despite all, said Transport Minister Igor Levitin, who was accompanying Putin to Astrakhan. A 2.5 km landing strip has been repaired, and there is a decision to lengthen it to 3.2 km.
There are problems, however, with minority stockholders that are hard to track down. "The state holds a 51% airport block, while the other 49% belong to obscure minorities," the minister said. "Are there no agencies to deal with the matter?" Putin asked with surprise.
Astrakhan Governor Alexander Zhilkin joined the discussion to tell the Prime Minister that one of the crucial minority holders had been found in prison. "I think he will cede his stock within 10-15 days," he said. According to available information, the holder has been coaxed into selling.
The Prime Minister ordered the Transport Ministry not to start funding the second stage of modernising the landing strip before the issue is settled. "Let us first deal with the holder problem and tackle finance later," he said.
Levitin replied that the landing strip expansion was scheduled for next year. When the new strip is ready, the airport will become the best in the Caspian area and have a capacity for any kind of aircraft.
