Over the past year, construction workers in the region have achieved 10 out of the 17 assigned targets.

The meeting of the board of the Committee for Architecture and Construction of the Vitebsk Regional Executive Committee, which reviewed the results of the socio-economic development indicators of the industry for 11 months of 2012 and tasks for commissioning construction facilities in the near future, was opened by the chairman of the committee, Vladimir Belous, with a general overview of the complex's performance:
– Out of 17 indicators set for last year, builders fulfilled 10. The main one is the commissioning of housing from all sources of funding. With a target of 400 thousand square meters, 402.5 were commissioned. The share of shipped innovative products is 31 percent against a target of 30. Exports of goods amounted to 568 percent of the 2011 level. Exports of services – 369. The standard for reducing the energy intensity of industrial products was overfulfilled: with a target of minus 11, the actual result was minus 17.5. Production and sales costs were reduced by 2.4 billion rubles. However, in addition to the positive aspects mentioned, there are many negative ones in this industry. For example, the gross regional product indicator was 84.7 percent (against a target of 109). Indicators for investment in fixed assets failed – 72.4 percent against a forecast of 110. Attraction of foreign direct investment, with a planned 2.2 billion dollars, amounted to only 400 million. Sales profitability is half of what was planned.
Another problem is the rapid decrease in the number of employees. The construction complex includes 867 organizations employing about 23 thousand people. A year ago, there were 26. And the maximum number was recorded in 2009 – over 33 thousand. Since then, the outflow of personnel has amounted to over 10 thousand builders.
 Under the investment program, about 50 facilities were commissioned in Privdvinye last year, with almost 460 billion rubles invested. The housing conditions of 287 large families have been improved. 119 social housing units were built, 192 – for the relocation of citizens living in dilapidated and emergency housing. Unfortunately, the activities of individual construction organizations were insufficient. The annual target for housing construction in the regional center, Vitebsk, Senno

Vitebsk, Braslav, Verkhnedvinsk, Gorodok, Dubrovno, Miory, Orsha, Polotsk, Postavy, Tolochin, Ushachi, Sharkovshchina and Shumilino districts. The set parameters were not met by PolotskSelStroy, VitebskSelStroy. There are claims against Vitebsk DSK, which has the largest staff turnover – 35 percent, losses – 52 million rubles, and the volume of contract work is only 42 percent. All cities and districts, except for Tolochin, have also seen a decrease in contract work volumes. Despite the growth in production, construction industry enterprises as a whole turned out to be unprofitable. The Obolsky ceramic plant significantly let down, with losses exceeding 7 billion rubles. In 2013, the focus will be on modernizing production. Orsha and Voropaevo reinforced concrete plants, and Obolsky ceramic plant are already working in this direction. It is also necessary to take measures to preserve human resources by increasing the volume of contract work and the level of remuneration. The average salary in the industry in 2012 was 4.2 million rubles. Today, the task is to bring this figure to 800 US dollars. In addition, this year it is planned to commission a 200-bed dormitory with a canteen at the Luzhesnyan Cadet School, an Ice Sports Palace in Orsha, the first launch complex for sports purposes on Zhurzhevskaya Street in Vitebsk, houses for orphans in Beshenkovichi and Tolochin districts, a 200-seat kindergarten in Polotsk, and a water and health center in Dokshitsy. In the regional center, the improvement of the territory of the Vitebsk Olympic Reserve School, the completion of the reconstruction of the therapeutic building of the children's hospital on Shrader Street, the medical building No. 1 of the infectious diseases hospital, and building No. 2 of the oncology dispensary are planned.

Nadezhda FOND ARENKO. "Vitebsky Rabochy"