March 4 was a significant date for the modern history of Tver. It was on this day, five years ago, that Igor Rudenya was introduced to the Tver public, and two days earlier he took up the duties of the head of the region. There was no brass band at the station, the new head of the region modestly got off the Moscow train and, accompanied by employees of the Upper Volga government, proceeded to the building on Sovetskaya, 44. There he met his colleagues and got down to work.
“We love all mothers”
– I still maintain relations with many, even former employees of the regional government. I made sure that very good people live and work in Tver, – Igor Rudenya admitted in the evening television broadcast on March 4, 2021 on the Russia 24 channel.
When asked what the initial period at the head of the region was remembered for, the governor replied: first of all, they intensified family and demographic policy, changed the attitude towards the social block and education, improved the situation with housing and communal services and roads. And no one expected such activity, which was shown by the volunteer movement.
There was a question “from the spot”: the young mother was interested in whether a modern, well-equipped children’s clinic would appear in the Zavolzhsky district, as in the Yuzhny microdistrict. The Governor assured: the medical facility will be built by the end of 2022, and no worse than in the South.
– Of course, we love all mothers. After all, children are something that cannot be treated indifferently, this is our future, – Igor Rudenya admitted. According to him, the region is building schools and kindergartens, but the pace must be increased. The construction of such facilities is the best indicator of how the region lives and develops.
Recalling the first days at the helm of the Upper Volga region, the governor told about going to the first communal accident in his new capacity. No press accompanied him; only a local resident took the visit on the phone. At that time, breakouts of worn-out heating systems were quite a painful problem. But over the past five years, according to Igor Rudenya, it has been possible to cultivate a responsible attitude of workers in the communal sector to their work. Indeed, this and the previous winters were remembered by the fact that, in fact, there were no major communal disasters. Yes, the main water pipelines sometimes broke, but the emergency service of Tverskoy Generation learned how to eliminate them without bringing the matter to a collapse.
Sky-high plans
Today, among the most important items on the governor’s agenda is the development of Rzhev and the Rzhevsky region. Increased attention was drawn to this territory last year, when the Rzhev Memorial to the Soviet Soldier was opened. The event served as an impetus for further progressive steps. So, at the federal level, the expansion of the federal highway M-9 to four lanes from Volokolamsk to the Rzhev Memorial to the Soviet Soldier has been agreed.
The key projects of the municipality’s comprehensive development plan are the construction of the Rzhevsky Memorial passenger railway station, the electrification of the entire line from Moscow to Rzhev, the launch of a new model of public transport (49 buses on 41 routes), the reconstruction of the water intake – the new water treatment system will be operational by September 1. This list includes the overhaul of an ambulance station, an adult clinic, the installation of 8 modular FAPs. On the basis of TvSU and the Electromechanics plant, an innovative project of dual education is being implemented (when a student is included in the production process as an employee of an enterprise at the early stages of the learning process). Here is the integrated development of the urban environment and suburban residential development.
Igor Rudenya also voiced such literally transcendental plans as the creation of an aviation technical center for small aircraft on the basis of a local aircraft repair plant. Against this background, the prospects for the construction of a greenhouse complex and an oilseed processing plant look more mundane.
About bad and about good
The next item was game. It is difficult to find another word to describe the massacre of a group of motorized poachers on the unfortunate elk, which is no longer destined to wait for spring and give birth to a new living creature – a small calf. Owners of expensive snowmobiles hardly needed moose meat to feed their families, and the exotic method of reprisal – the animal was strangled with hands – indicates something like a valiant game.
Commenting on the tragic incident, the governor sighed in sorrow: this shows the level of general culture. And he resolutely declared that the proceedings were open, the case would receive a correct legal assessment, regardless of the person.
Fortunately, it is not these characters that shape the social climate in the region. Igor Rudenya spoke positively about the work of the Center for the Development of the Economy of Small Towns, aimed at revitalizing the public spaces of the municipalities of the Upper Volga region. This non-governmental organization encourages local residents themselves to vote for what kind of territory they would like to develop, in what style and with what functionality. And the work is financed by grants from the Ministry of Construction of the Russian Federation.
– We will continue to actively participate in projects for the development of small towns and historical centers of the Tver region, – said the head of the region.
In 2020, five applications from the Tver region were recognized as winners of the All-Russian competition for the best projects for creating a comfortable urban environment in small towns and historical settlements. These are the cities of Toropets, Ostashkov, Bezhetsk, Nelidovo and Kalyazin. Now we are working on the preparation of seven more projects. Rating voting will be held in April on the za.gorodsreda.ru platform.
There were many appeals from the residents of the region on this TV broadcast. At the request of a married couple from Kalyazin, the local ambulance fleet will soon be replenished with a new special vehicle. And the young cadet of the Tver SVU asked if Igor Rudenya in childhood dreamed of becoming a Suvorov himself. The governor replied that there was such a possibility.
The final question was about March 8th. How is this day spent in the family of the regional leader, in which there are four men and three women? Igor Rudenya smiled slyly:
– On March 8, all men work at home, such a tradition. It’s good that this holiday happens only once a year. One day can be tolerated.