Upon arriving for his working visit in Korkino, the Chelyabinsk Region, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin inspected the Chelyabinsk Coal Company's open pit mine, the largest in Eurasia. The mine's erosion is threatening to damage neighbouring communities. Vladimir Putin's was driven in an SUV up to the observation point which offered a spectacular view of this 500-metre deep, man-made hole in the ground.

The Prime Minister learned that the mine opened in the 1930s, and that the project had national significance during World War II. The currently unprofitable mine employs almost 1,400 workers and produces 1.2 million tonnes of coal annually.

Mr Putin noticed several photographers and cameramen teetering on the edge of the observation area and shouted: "Be careful! You're not supposed to fall down there. Come on, move back!"

The gradually eroding coal mine threatens buildings in Korkino and the nearby mining town of Roza. Although local authorities have relocated about 300 households over the past few years, many people are reluctant to leave.

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During an inspection of the town of Roza, which is gradually sliding into an open pit mine, the prime minister visited a flat of pensioner Lyubov Vetrova, located in a dilapidated building.

The house was built in the early 1950s and Mrs Vetrova has lived in it since 1976. In 1991 the local authorities officially classified the building as hazardous and unfit for living but only conducted major repairs instead of providing the tenants with new accommodation. The house is now literally falling apart. "There are draughts, the ceiling is slumping down, and today I have found ice in the crack," the pensioner told Mr Putin. She said that the tenants had complained to the authorities at all levels. A few years ago they even wrote a letter to the prime minister. "The reply we got ran like this: settle the problem locally, take the necessary measures," Mrs Vetrova said. "But you can see for yourself the state it is in."

"Your home does not meet the standards, it is bursting at the seams," the prime minister said after inspecting the flat. Vladimir Putin was shocked at seeing open cracks in the walls. "It's a nightmare, you can see right through them," he said.

"Yes, the crack goes through to the outside. In summer you can see the grass though it," Mrs Vetrova confirmed. The prime minister noted that the ground in the area is unstable (the house is located just 300 metres from the coal pit mine). The prime minister promised to solve the problem of dilapidated housing. "We will work on improving your town and find a solution," Mr Putin assured.

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Vladimir Putin on his visit to the mining town of Roza talked with its residents

Transcript:

Vladimir Putin: Please be seated. Good afternoon! I did not expect so many people to come. I am glad to see you. I have seen how you live here, the conditions are harsh, to put it mildly. We have just talked with the governor and with other colleagues. We do have a solution, but it will require considerable resources, significant funds even for the federal budget. Overall, if all the problems are to be tackled together, the whole housing problem (both for the town of Roza and the town of Korkino), we will need approximately 27 billion roubles. It is clear that even a whole year won't be enough to build that much housing, that is why it is going to be a long-term programme.

But there are houses located in a hazardous area, about 3,700 houses – we are going to do this quickly, well, relatively quickly, within a year to a year and a half. There are houses, to be honest, I did not expect to see this, that are completely unfit to live in. We are allocating the necessary funds, the governor has promised to relocate people from these houses within a month. But we have agreed to solve this issue in the most flexible way, so that it should be convenient for people. This entails subsidies, certificates, buying apartments on the market, as they say. So the problem has been building up for a long time, we are close to the edge, both in the literal and the figurative sense of the word, but we will solve it together and we are going to solve it as quickly as we can.

The governor assured me today that he has already selected the sites for the new developments, they are close to the town. They will be new neighbourhoods or detached houses with the necessary social infrastructure – by that I mean schools, clinics and hospitals. You know that many people – around 50,000 – live in the area around the mine shaft. So we are going to relocate all those 50,000 people in accordance with a separate plan. But let me repeat, the first stage, the most urgent, is the uninhabitable housing. And secondly, which we can do quickly, is those houses that are in the danger area, which will take approximately a year and a half. These, strictly speaking, are the results of our meeting today. And I am confident we will do it. If you have any questions, you are welcome to ask them.

Question: The Korkinsky mine, Vladimir Petrov, head of the mining unit. Mr Putin, I would like to express our appreciation for you taking the time to sort out the problems of the Korkinsky municipal district. I want to ask a question that is directly connected with the prospects of the mine. It has been in operation since 1934 …

Vladimir Putin: We have just discussed this issue… I have already heard the question – what are the prospects for the future. And it's not 1934, I've made inquiries, it's been here since 1931. And what I did not know was that it had played a very important role in the Great Patriotic War. I should point out that one of your major shareholders is a respectable and conscientious person. And I must say that when we were discussing the contribution of the mine to solving the social issues, he unreservedly agreed, without any objections, even though this is not easy for him. I should say that the mine is operating with zero profitability. But we agreed to help him.

As for the future of the mine. It is clear that people work here, this is their home. It is a difficult problem, I mean low profitability and, as a result, low wages. We have just had a brief discussion – we will try to help, I mean to increase production and sales. There are customers close by. We have reason to believe that they will meet us halfway. But, you see, these are business relations, but at the ministry level we are going to help you …

Remark: Thank you very much.

Vladimir Putin: …and to expand production and to maintain it, to raise it to a profitable level. Well, we will have to take a look at this. Are there any more questions please?

Question: Tayana Kuznetsova. I work here, in this college, as master of vocational training. There are rumours going around the town that they may bring nuclear waste to our mine. Is that a possibility?

Vladimir Putin: I haven't heard anything about this, this is the first I've heard of it, to be honest. So there really is such a rumour? I honestly haven't heard it. No, you know, it's out of the question, because special facilities for storing nuclear waste would have to be built. Generally speaking, nuclear waste storage is a cutting-edge, highly specialised, high-tech industry. Just bringing in nuclear waste and covering it up with some earth is utter nonsense. It's just not possible! I assure you. I have no idea where this has come from, but we have just talked with the head of the mine, and he asked us, on the contrary, first and foremost for help and support with developing production, and that is what we are going to do. So this has caught me by surprise.

OK, any more questions? No? I would like to wish you good luck, we are going to work together and solve the problem. We have to solve it. Best of luck! Good-bye!