Ilsur Metshin: "The first snowfall will test the effectiveness of city authorities"

(KZN.RU, October 13, by Ekaterina Andreeva). The coming winter should not become a calamity or any snowfall - a disaster. This was proclaimed today at a meeting of the winter preparedness headquarters by Mayor of Kazan Ilsur Metshin.

City officials began to develop a comprehensive program of introducing new technologies of road maintenance in Kazan as early as last February. The program developed by leading experts in this field will take three years to implement, its funding exceeding two billion rubles. This year, half the necessary funds - over one billion rubles – have been invested using credit and leasing arrangements with the assistance of the President of the Republic of Tatarstan.

As reported by the head of the Committee for Land Improvement of the Kazan Executive Committee Igor Kulyazhev, contracts have been signed to purchase 105 units of special machinery and equipment worth 760 million rubles, almost half of it being made by the joint venture "Kamaz-Boschung» created early this year. The company will supply 51 combined road machines on the KAMAZ chassis, furnished with Boschung-made equipment. In addition, Kazan will receive 54 snow removal equipment from other manufacturers including 22 snow loaders, three multi-functional machines with winter and summer equipment, seven snow plows and18 graders. As a result, the total number of machines at the disposal of the contractors will increase by a quarter - to 626 units - as compared to last year.

He also said that five stationary snow melting stations equipped with seven snow melting chambers were being built in Kazan on Prospekt Pobedy, Tehnicheskaya, Vasilchenko, Nesmelova and Vorovsky streets. These snow melting stations are scheduled to be completed by the end of November. In addition, two mobile snow melting machines will be purchased to work in the downtown area.

Another important step in implementing the program will be a gradual transition from the use of sand-and-salt mixture to modern anti-icing materials. Specifically, this year, 4.5 thousand tons of Bionord reagent, produced by Russia’s largest Urals factory of anti-icing materials, were bought. This year, this reagent will be used on about 10% of Kazan roads, primarily on the main thoroughfares and in the most critical areas.

Mayor of Kazan Ilsur Metshin emphasized that a lot was being done to normalize the traffic: new interchanges and pedestrian crossings are being built, and roads are being improved. "Even the most spiteful critics can’t say that nothing is being done in the city,” said I. Metshin. “However, all this work won’t be completed until late 2012. Then we’ll be able to enjoy all the benefits. But we have to live now."