The republic plans to attract capital for the construction sphere and the creation of hydroelectric power plants.
During the recent conference in Magas, the capital of Ingushetia, with the participation of Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, the president's ambassador in the North Caucasus Federal District Alexander Khloponin, and minister for regional development Victor Basargin, the idea that special socio-economic projects are extremely necessary in the North Caucasus was heard often.
The region has all the conditions necessary for economic growth - natural and climatic conditions, minerals, an advantageous geopolitical position, manpower resources and so on. As for Ingushetia, by 2016 it will get financing to the sum of 43 billion rubles ($201 million). Altogether work within the program of socio-economic development of Ingushetia should be carried out on a wide scale, including 130 buildings or other infrastructure. The emphasis is being laid on the construction of facilities for education, public health, culture and sport.
However in Ingushetia it is said that the republic is being given "fish, but not the rod to catch them with". Socially important facilities are OK, but Ingushetia needs at least one powerful competitive enterprise, which would really provide people with jobs. A lot of people could find work at such an enterprise, which would have many a positive impact upon the general situation in the republic. During the Soviet era, tiny Ingushetia supplied all the adjacent regions with agricultural production, and the production of the Nazran plant "Electroinstrument" was exported to dozens of countries. Nearly 2000 people worked at the plant. Today, such a large-scale powerful city-forming company could become part of a complex of building industry enterprises.
The Ingush people’s name for themselves in their native language means “inhabitants of the towers." These ancient buildings amaze people with their beauty and solidness. Take for example, the world-famous castle complex Vovnushki.
The Ingush people’s love for building has been retained throughout the centuries and today’s generation can be a match for their ancestors. Building can be said to be the main occupation of the Ingush. They often go out without things in order to erect another house in their small towns.
What an older generation begins, the youth carry on: houses are being built, and then other buildings, a yard is being paved with paving flags, massive gates are being mounted, all this is being expanded and improved ad infinitum.
The scale of the imagination depends though on the size of the purse. Elderly heads of households withdraw from the race, passing on the baton to the young. One after another trains arrive at Nazran station with construction materials from different parts of Russia. Shops selling construction materials flourish. The experts think that under such conditions demand should be answered with supply, and in this direction prospective investors have a wealth of work. It is important to create a domestic building industry in order not to overpay the middlemen, even more so because the geographical location of the region mostly favours this.
In pre-historic times in the place of the present foothills of the Caucasus were the waters of a great sea. Because of this there are considerable deposits of shell limestone. This material is characterized by its porous structure, because it is almost entirely made up of whole or fragmented shells of sea organisms. The limestone-coquina was discovered and used in construction much earlier than many modern materials. Today, it enjoys great popularity due to its ease of processing. The material is frost-proof and pliable. Because of these properties, limestone-coquina is widely used in construction as facing and wall material, and sand and gravel from this raw material are used as fillers for lightweight concrete. The ancient material is used in the production of lime. Besides this, limestone-coquina is considered the world's only material that provides absolute protection from radiation.
Not far from the Ingush village of Galashki there is a quarry, where limestone coquina is being mined. About three kilometers away at the state unitary enterprise "Plant Giperpress" the starting-up and adjustment process is completed. The experts estimated the first finished production - ashlar brick, frequently used in recent times for the external decoration of houses. In an interview with a VC correspondent, company director Idris Toldiev said: "The modern building industry is placing new demands on building materials as a whole, and on the finishing facing materials, in particular. These materials are faced with an external aggressive environment and should serve not only as reliable protection for the building, but also meet the aesthetic consumer demand in architecture and urban planning". While laying ceramic bricks, salt deposits often appear.
Toldiev assured VC that the brick which has started being produced by the plant "Giperpress" is made of ecologically safe materials. The use of high-quality cement only during the production of bricks helps to produce a solid brick. Production technology is such: shell rock is crushed into fine powder, and then white cement is added in combination with a small amount of water. Then the bricks dry naturally for five days. Now such products are imported into Ingushetia from the Stavropol Territory.
Stavropol face brick is rather expensive - 18-20 rubles apiece. Products of the Ingush plant will cost much less. Nobody doubts that it will be in demand. The enterprise still however produces facing bricks of just one brand. However, the expansion of production is planned in the future. Workers will start working on a second shift - and this will provide additional jobs. Among the "Giperpress” plant's customers are both private traders and government structures. Facing brick is used in virtually all areas of construction. Due to the use of facing brick, new buildings have a fresh, neat appearance.
Another fertile area for investment is the creation of a number of minor hydropower plants on the mountain rivers of Ingushetia. The republic is buying electricity at market prices, though it has huge potential for energy development.
In Magas, Alexander Khloponin said: "By investing a relatively small sum of money it is possible to resolve the issue with the completion of a gas turbine power plant”. Construction at the site has been frozen for several years. But, according to some experts, the minor hydropower plants shouldn't be disregarded. They do not require such large investments as gas turbine power stations do
Paul Tsoroev, Nazran. Exclusively for VC
