Mr Putin headed a state commission established on September 1, 1999, following his decree to prepare for the city anniversary celebrations to be held in August 2005.
As he addressed the conference, the President said anniversary preparations included major infrastructure and transport projects, including metro construction, city centre reconstruction and all-round modernisation of the municipal economy. In this connection, Mr Putin demanded well-substantiated estimates and close work supervision to avoid problems with funding coordination.
Mr Putin said the aim of the millennium celebrations was not only to create a memorable spectacle but, in the final analysis, to raise the city’s living standards and working conditions. It was a big, comprehensive social and economic project to improve the quality of the entire urban environment of Kazan, he said.
The discussion was summed up in a package of instructions to the Government.