First, the Governor reported to the President about the flooding that was extreme and protracted this year. Since mid-June, the region has been working in an emergency format. It has resolved the main task: to prevent deaths and injuries. In all, about 12,000 people were recognised victims of the floods; 103 residential areas were affected and 1,476 houses were damaged. During the peak of the first wave of the floods, almost 600 people stayed in temporary accommodation, while 3,700 were evacuated. The total damage to housing during the flood amounted to 2.2 billion rubles. People have started receiving payments for the purchase of property to replace lost housing and for major repairs. The authorities have provided for an opportunity to grant free plots of land to those who want to build new homes. The regional package of additional support includes supplies of fuel and vegetables to those who have lost horticulture gardens.
The governor said the authorities are paying special attention to the roads and school routes. Four school routes have not yet been opened and 84 children are still on long-distance classes. However, the water will go away within a week and these school routes will be restored. Transport access is a priority for the region. The damage from the first wave of the floods amounted to 3.15 billion rubles. The damage from the second wave has not yet been calculated because some water is still there. The overall damage from the first wave is estimated at 6.2 billion rubles. The damage from the second wave may run into some 3 billion rubles. All commissions on calculating the damage are busy working. Later, the region will request from the Government compensation for eliminating the consequences of the emergency.
The socioeconomic development of the region was also discussed. Mr Orlov said that budget revenues were growing. Last year, despite the pandemic, the budget amounted to 105 billion rubles with an increase of 19 percent by 2019. Own revenues amounted to 71 billion rubles, and 34 billion rubles were allocated from the federal budget for various measures. By the decision of the President, a second bridge is being built across the Zeya River. It will be put into operation in mid-2023. Funding totals 19.8 billion rubles. The public debt is decreasing.
As for demography, according to the governor, there is still an outflow of the population, although its pace has slowed down compared to the beginning of the 2000s. To settle this problem, it is necessary to tackle three tasks, three groups of questions. The first is job creation. The second is everything related to housing: the quality and comfort of the urban environment, the cost of a square metre, the cost of housing and utilities, and so on. And the third is everything related to healthcare, education, sports, and so on.
Vasily Orlov spoke about investment projects that will create additional jobs. There are three priority development areas in the region. Today, 31 residents are registered in them, and the total capitalisation of these investment projects is 1.651 trillion rubles. The largest projects are three federal construction projects. These are the Power of Siberia gas pipeline, the Gazprom gas processing plant and the Sibur gas chemical complex. This is the Vostochny Cosmodrome. And the third construction project, which began this year, is the second branch of the Baikal-Amur Mainline (BAM).
The governor recalled that in the 1980s, it was the first branch of the BAM that attracted many people to the region, who settled in the Far East. Therefore, much attention is being paid to the development of the BAM, the development of the second branch, the development of the town of Tynda and all the villages along the BAM. In 2024, there are plans to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the beginning of the BAM construction. A large number of events are already being held in Tynda: a sports and recreation centre is being built, the town is being improved, and the Lena federal highway has been built. The governor noted that the renovation of Tynda airport is scheduled for 2024, and asked the President, on behalf of all Tynda residents, to help shift the start of construction to 2022, so that the renovated airport would reopen for the anniversary.
Vladimir Putin promised his support, and Vasily Orlov invited the President to attend a significant event associated with the anniversary of the BAM.