OREANDA-NEWS. September 16, 2010. Opening the meeting, Vladimir Putin described the current construction of houses for fire victims as satisfactory. "Houses have been erected at nearly all sites, and in other places the foundations have been laid or roofs are being built," the prime minister said.

Mr Putin paid special attention to the quality of the houses, saying they should be comfortable and meet all modern requirements.

In addition, the prime minister asked about reforesting the areas burned by the fires. "We must not allow the dead zones, wasteland, with burned stumps and dead trees, to remain for years around villages and towns," the prime minister said. He also said the decision had been made to allocate an additional 5 billion roubles for the Federal Agency for Forestry to buy firefighting equipment and 2.5 billion roubles to restore forests.

Vladimir Putin's opening remarks:

Let's start working. Today we are going to talk about managing the aftermath of the wildfires of this past summer.

Please, take your seats and let's start working. Today, six weeks after the disaster, we are only halfway through dealing with this issue, which is the only way to describe it. Let's see what we have achieved in these six weeks. This conference is being attended by top officials of the federal government, governors and representatives of the government commissions dispatched to the affected regions to monitor and coordinate the relief efforts.

As you know, I was in the Nizhny Novgorod and Vladimir regions yesterday and I observed what was being done there. Construction is proceeding apace at nearly all sites; we are closely monitoring their progress. Just as I said I would do, I am monitoring the situation through web cameras placed at all the construction sites. I can see in real time that construction is mostly progressing in a satisfactory manner. Of course, the situation differs from site to site, but it is adequate overall. Six weeks after we launched the project, houses have been erected at nearly all sites, and in other places the foundations have been laid or roofs are being built. In other words, this project is underway.

In all, we need to build over 2,000 houses, or more precisely 2,181 houses, across Russia by winter, including in the Volgograd Region and the Altai Territory. I'd like to remind you that the new housing must be commissioned by December 1 in the Volgograd Region and the Altai Territory, and by November 1 in the other regions.

There is very little time left, which is why we are monitoring construction sites on a daily basis.

I expect Regional Development Minister Viktor Basargin to present the latest data on all the construction sites, but primarily those where problems could hinder construction, as well as the measures taken to ensure that the project proceeds according to schedule.

We must pay special attention to the quality of housing, which must be comfortable and comply with modern requirements. In some regions, as I saw yesterday in Nizhny Novgorod and in the Vladimir Region, local leaders have reached agreements with sponsors and furniture companies, so that furniture and household appliances are provided at a discount. I think an agreement like this benefits both the people and the companies, which profit from large orders.

Besides, we have promised to provide the necessary infrastructure to these new communities. I expect you to report individually on the construction of social facilities, roads, and water, gas and electricity supply networks.

And lastly, we must also consider long-term solutions, including the reforestation of the burned-out areas. We must not allow the dead zones, with burned stumps and dead trees, to remain for years around villages and towns. People asked me about that just yesterday.

The government has decided to allocate an additional 5 billion roubles to the Federal Agency for Forestry to buy firefighting equipment and 2.5 billion roubles for reforestation. This money will be channelled into the affected regions. I'd like each region affected by the fires to draft reforestation measures and to submit their plans to the Forestry Agency.

I am now giving the floor to Regional Development Minister Viktor Basargin.