On Friday, December 4, on the initiative of the New People party, the Ryazan Regional Duma hosted a round table “New Oka River in Meshchera Daly”.
The Oka River development project is a landmark for the party. It was he who became the largest socio-economic initiative of the “New People” during the election campaign to the regional legislative assembly.
Representatives of relevant ministries, clergy, initiators and architects of the project, deputies, city activists discussed the state of the Oka basin within the region, the historical significance of the territory and the prospects for tourism development.
The chief architect of the project, Sergey Churakov, considers it important not to overdo it and not build up the territory with entertainment complexes, but to preserve the historical landscape. According to him, it is necessary to understand what natural, archaeological and man-made objects that emphasize the identity of this place should be included in the project.
“Oka on the territory of the Ryazan region is the best thing that exists practically along the entire length of the river, and other regions envy us. It is wrong not to use this resource, ”said the Minister of Culture and Tourism Vitaly Popov. Investors should also be interested in the project, the minister explained, which will allow him to enter the upcoming national project “Tourism and hospitality industry”.
The region has 489 kilometers of river, said Deputy Minister of Transport and Highways Valery Eremin, there is shipping. There is a stationary pier in Konstantinov, the process of its registration is underway in Ryazan, but in Kasimov it rotted long ago and the problem needs to be solved, he added. Eremin also noted that there are motor ships in the region for transporting tourists, so the project can be developed.
It will allow attracting investments to the region: recreation centers, marinas and gas stations, cafes and mini-hotels on the shores will be built with the attraction of investors’ funds. “The New River Oka project will bring more than 10,000 new jobs in the Ryazan Region over the next three years,” says Vadim Polyevtov, a deputy of the Ryazan Regional Duma from the New People party.
The roundtable participants supported the initiative and agreed to meet in January to discuss a detailed plan and outline the first steps.