More than 500,000 residents of the Vitebsk region took part in the republican subbotnik
Since Soviet times, a good tradition has been preserved in our society: on pleasant April days, to tidy up cities and villages, to work voluntarily at production facilities, thereby assisting the state in solving pressing problems. This year, over 6 billion rubles were earned in the region during the subbotnik, industrial products worth 15.3 billion rubles were produced, and the volume of contract work performed by own efforts amounted to 3.6 billion rubles. The work collectives of OJSC "Moloko", "Keramika", VZRD "Monolit", and other enterprises worked in their usual production mode. In addition, a number of landscaping works were carried out.
In the regional center, the Park of Culture and Recreation named after the Soviet Army, the flood plain of the Vitba River, Yuryeva Gorka, and the territory of the Summer Amphitheater were tidied up. In Novopolotsk, city residents worked on the reconstruction of the main building of the city hospital and cleared park areas from winter debris. In Orsha, residents worked on the construction of the Ice Palace... In general, all settlements in the region acquired a truly festive spring appearance.
The work also progressed on the construction of a new kindergarten in the Medtsentr microdistrict of Vitebsk. A labor contingent led by the Chairman of the Regional Executive Committee, Alexander Kosinets, arrived here. However, before starting work directly at the facility, Alexander Nikolaevich listened to the report of the Chairman of the Vitebsk City Executive Committee, Viktor Nikolaikin, on the development of this and other microdistricts. The head of the region paid special attention to the development of infrastructure in all newly built districts. He emphasized that people should live comfortably and cozily in our city.
— The community cleanup is for children, and the money earned will be directed towards the development of recreation camps, educational institutions, and healthcare, — said Alexander Nikolaevich. — We will do everything necessary to prepare for the 70th anniversary of the liberation of our country from the Nazi invaders.
We must complete this kindergarten-nursery for 200 children by September 1. It will be a modern facility with a swimming pool, methodological offices, and a gym.
In the near future, a second kindergarten and a school for 1000 places with good sports facilities and a swimming pool will be built in the Medcenter. Thus, in a microdistrict where slightly more than 7000 people will live, a wonderful cultural and educational center is being created with all the conditions for education and leisure for our growing population. The construction of a shopping center, a household services center, and a "Vesta" store of 2000 square meters is planned. The governor paid special attention to the creation of a park zone. Transport links with other parts of the city have been considered. In the future, passengers will be transported not only by buses but also by trolleybuses and trams.
The improvement of new microdistricts on Leningradskaya Street and Bilevo-3 was discussed. A characteristic feature of the development will be the abundance of small shops, pharmacies, cafes, and other facilities within walking distance on the ground floors of buildings. In addition, a polyclinic is planned to be built in Bilevo-3 by the end of 2015.
After that, journalists had the opportunity to visit not only the construction site of the kindergarten but also to admire the surroundings from the roof of the future educational institution — because it was there that the working place of the region and city leaders was located during the community cleanup: they were engaged in roof screeding. During a short technological break, the conversation continued about the prospects for the region's development.
— Modernization of enterprises and development of new production facilities is a priority direction, — emphasized Alexander Nikolaevich. — For this purpose, the Regional Program for Innovative and Investment Development of the Vitebsk Region for 2011-2015 is being implemented, which includes 19 subprograms. Within its framework, more than 12 processing industry facilities have been modernized, which produce competitive products with high added value.
This year, it is planned to commission new cheese factories in Postavy and Braslav, a fish processing enterprise in Braslav, and a new baby food workshop at the Orsha Meat Canning Plant.
Vitebsk region will undoubtedly become the leader in footwear production. Two large holdings — "Marko" and "Belwest" — will increase footwear production to 12 million pairs by the end of 2018. For this, "Marko" will build a plant for processing leather and fur raw materials and modernize the Vitebsk Fur Combine. The Orsha "PAK" plant will be transferred to "Belwest" with its further retraining into a footwear factory. Footwear production in small towns will also be developed.
To provide the footwear industry with raw materials, 21 sheep farms and 15 fur farms will be built in the region's districts.
The energy complex will continue to develop; the share of local fuels used in housing and communal services is planned to be increased to 70 percent by the end of 2015.
All this will give a new impetus to the region's development, enhance the economic potential of enterprises, and contribute to a significant increase in wages.
— Our main task is to improve people's quality of life so that wages reach 700-800 US dollars by December. We can achieve this, but it requires a lot of hard and high-quality work, — emphasized Alexander Kosinets.
Lyubov DEDYURO.
Photo by Dmitry OSIPOV
"Vitebsky Rabochy"