Rustam Minnikhanov: We should pull ourselves together and settle people in quality houses before New Year

A republican meeting on housing construction and putting into operation has today been held, chaired by Tatarstan President Rustam Minnikhanov.

According to Tatarstanstat, 1,811 thousand square meters of housing was as of December 16 put into operation, 90 percent of the plan.

“There is no doubt we will put into operation this amount,” Tatarstan construction, architecture and housing minister Irek Faizullin said. The plan for the rest of December is 2,020 thousand square metres, he added, each building is being supervised by the ministry.

Tatarstan President lashed out on the contractors proposing to put off the unfinished buildings until 2011, to improve their quality.

“The responsibility for each facility postponed until next year remains. You need to write down the surnames of those who made us the “presents”, thwarting the housing construction. You should say straight, contractors have thwarted the finishing, instead of calling it “postponement, to improve the quality”. We need to announce the contractors and incompetent managers. Let the people know who is to blame for them not moving in new flats.”

The State Housing Fund executive director Talgat Abdullin said 716 thousand square meters of housing would in 2010 be built the within the social mortgage programme. Tatarstan President thanked all payers of fees to the SHF. An amount of social housing this big has never been built in the republic, he remarked. The Tatarstan’s social mortgage programme is the best in the Russian regions.

Rustam Minnikhanov stressed the effort should be increased, to try settle people in new homes before the New Year, especially WWII veterans. Moving into new quality flats by New Year is always a holiday, he added.

As of December 16, of the 11,857 war veterans who had concluded agreements, 8, 476 moved in new flats, including 1,097 within the social mortgage programme.