A Chechen criminal investigation of the head of a village and four
members of a commission in the Kurchaloyevsky Region of the republic
has been initiated. "According to the investigation, the officials
helped a relative of the head of the municipality to illegally obtain
a large sum of money within the program of affordable housing for
young families. The commission members knew that the person who
received the money lacked the necessary documents for construction on
agricultural lands", the prosecutor's office in the republic reports.
At the same time, experts note that land prices in almost all Chechen
villages, as well as Grozny, have risen. While two neighbors argue
about a tiny piece of land, rich people purchase land as real estate
annually. Large families in villages and cities live on 800 sq m, the
rich are buying masses of lands with gardens and fields for livestock.
The president's envoy to the North Caucasus Federal District (NCFD),
Alexander Khloponin, visited Chechnya. He said that within the
framework of his visit all the necessary conditions for young families
to buy housing were provided. "There are 5% interest rate loans for 50
years planned. In this case, the families will need to pay 700 rubles
(just over $20) a month. I believe that it is an affordable sum for
young families in the region", Khloponin said. He considers the
Caucasus to be the "demographic potential of Russia" and "the only
territory giving a population boost to Russia".
Indeed, Chechnya had the most weddings in 2008-2009. The Civil
Registry Office Administration in Chechnya registered a record number
of weddings in the last two years. For example, 16, 235 marriages took
place in 2008 and approximately the same amount last year.
In 2006, within the framework of realizing the priority national
project for "affordable and comfortable housing for Russian citizens"
the Chechen government developed a program "providing housing for
young families". Younger members of the population received subsidies
for the purchase and construction of housing, the organization of
mortgage lending and insurance of mortgage housing loans. The sum of
subsidies is less than 40% of the estimated value of housing (for the
first quarter of 2010 one square meter of housing in Chechnya cost
18,450 rubles).
"The republic's budget had 194.5 million rubles for the realization of
the program in 2009, the amount of co-financing from the Russian
budget reached 55.46 million rubles. 440 young families received
social payments for purchase and construction of housing with a grand
total of 234.29 million rubles", the Ministry of Housing and Communal
Services of Chechnya reported. The realization of the Chechen program
is planned for 2006-2010. According to the ministry, the budget of
Chechnya will have 152.54 million rubles this year. The amount of
co-financing from the Russian budget will be determined by the
Ministry of Regional Development of Russia.
However, there are few families that received state support.
Specialists say that the number of people that received subsidies
compared with the number that needs them is miserly. The Chechen
Ministry of Economic Development reports that the realization of the
national project is complicated by the poorly developed mortgage
system. That is why the ministry had proposals for federal structures
of power to extend the network of operational banks and improve the
control over banks participating in the national project.
Timur Utsayev, Grozny. Exclusively for VK
