Transcript of the opening of the meeting:
Vladimir Putin: How are winter preparations going?
Viktor Basargin: All organising measures are over. Monitoring is arranged on a weekly schedule, and three conference calls have been held on the subject. Twenty-five regions had initiated building heating by September 25, and 46 will start it by October 1.
Approximately 95% of heating systems and 98% of building boilers are ready, though several regions have stocked up on only 90-95% of the necessary fuel.
Vladimir Putin: Some places-the Far North, Arkhangelsk, etc. - always have problems with this because they need huge amounts of diesel fuel. What is the situation there?
Viktor Basargin: The Far East has received all the necessary fuel but cannot afford it. We are keeping an eye on the situation, and have calculated the sums Kamchatka, Magadan and other areas will need from Finance Ministry allocations to level out budget funding. I think the Finance Ministry will cope in due time.
Vladimir Putin: Sufficient fuel supplies matter more than anything else, and funding is a far smaller problem-we will cope with it.
Viktor Basargin: All regions report that they are ready for the heating season, and this may be accurate. There is a far greater problem, however-fuel allotments will run out sooner than usual if the winter is colder than normal.
I talked to Tomsk Governor Viktor Kress last year about this problem in his region, which had run out of fuel before abnormal frosts set in that lasted a month. If such a frost recurs this winter, heating will not be 100% reliable in 10 regions or so.
Vladimir Putin: Mere talk about it is not enough.
Viktor Basargin: We are providing extra amounts of coal and gasoline for several regions.
Vladimir Putin: Mr Basargin, it is very good of you to plan provisions, but I must know the deadline you have set for them.
Viktor Basargin: The stock will be made before October 15.
Vladimir Putin: You have only slightly longer than two weeks. Please report the results on time.
Viktor Basargin: Mr Putin, would you please chair a national conference call on winter preparations? We have planned it for October 5.
Vladimir Putin: Understood. Remember, perform well before that day. Problem areas demand the most thorough preparations. Not a single place in Russia is to have problems with heating this autumn and winter.
Viktor Basargin: We are doing what we can, and we realise that nothing matters more than reliability today. The Sayano-Shushenskaya plant accident has forced us to hold meetings in every federal district on enhancing the reliability of life support systems. As for the Saratov water supply problem, it would have been far worse in winter-you have intervened, so you are aware of it.
Vladimir Putin: Regions demanding urgent supplies due to their climate matter most now. The navigation season is over in many places. Urgent supplies must be made at all cost.