A joint field meeting of the Committee on Economy, Investments and Entrepreneurship and the Committee on Housing Policy and Infrastructure Development of the State Council of the Republic of Tatarstan was held in Naberezhnye Chelny. The deputies discussed issues of digital transformation of public transport, personnel training in the field of information technology, and reviewed a number of important regional draft laws. The event was held within the framework of the national project "Data Economy and Digital Transformation of the State", aimed at modernizing the country's economic system through the introduction of advanced digital solutions and technologies. The agenda included six items.
Opening the meeting, Chairman of the State Council Committee of the Republic of Tatarstan on Economy, Investments and Entrepreneurship Ryagat Khusainov noted the importance of the chosen venue. He recalled that the city is celebrating a double anniversary – 400 years since its founding and the 50th anniversary of the production of the first КАМАЗ truck:
«Naberezhnye Chelny is not only a center of automotive industry, but also a platform for implementing modern investment projects, developing innovative technologies, and training professional personnel. Therefore, the venue for the meeting was not chosen by us by chance. The main topic of our joint meeting, as I have already noted, is related to the development of public transport in the context of digital transformation. In this direction, Naberezhnye Chelny demonstrates a certain potential and readiness for transformation».
The main topic was the digital transformation of the transport system. Chairman of the State Council Committee of the Republic of Tatarstan on Housing Policy and Infrastructure Development Andrey Egorov highly appreciated the city's experience: «We have familiarized ourselves with how the city is consistently introducing modern technologies into the development of passenger transport. This includes a bus movement monitoring system and a mobile application for route planning. All this contributes to improving the quality of service for citizens and creates a foundation for the sustainable development of the city. And, ultimately, the main thing is convenience for residents. Transport plays a key role in the life of every municipality. It is not only a tool for ensuring the mobility of the population, but also an indicator of the city's development and the quality of life of its residents. Therefore, the attention of the Naberezhnye Chelny leadership to the modernization of transport infrastructure can serve as an example for other municipalities of our republic».
Head of the Executive Committee Farid Salakhov welcomed the deputies and noted the city's readiness for further transformations, highlighting that thanks to active work on citizens' appeals, Naberezhnye Chelny managed to successfully reorganize public transport. Combining the tram and bus fleets into a single municipal enterprise has yielded excellent results, and now the city serves as an example for colleagues from other regions. The main task is to make transportation as comfortable and convenient as possible to attract more passengers, emphasized Farid Salakhov:
«Naberezhnye Chelny has always been distinguished by a powerful entrepreneurial component. There were different periods: both difficulties and economic challenges, but the entrepreneurial spirit has always remained very strong. We welcome the changes being introduced at the republic level in terms of legislation concerning this sector. We count on the fact that Naberezhnye Chelny, as a platform ready for change, will be able to implement all innovations in such a way that they entail an exclusively positive effect. Another block of issues is housing construction. They want to leave the powers in this sphere specifically to the municipality. We in Naberezhnye Chelny have carried out a lot of preparatory work and have already shown good results, so we are ready to continue working successfully in this direction».
Minister of Transport and Road Facilities of the Republic of Tatarstan Farit Khanifov delivered a report. He spoke about personnel training and industry development. General Director of "Gorodskoy Transport" Ildar Gizatullin presented a report on the results of the municipal enterprise "Gorodskoy Transport" and plans for the introduction of digital technologies. He noted that thanks to the support of the leadership of Tatarstan and Mayor Nail Magdeev, Naberezhnye Chelny managed to abandon the services of private carriers using small-capacity buses and completely renew the rolling stock. Today, every second resident of the city regularly uses public transport.
«The municipal fleet of Naberezhnye Chelny includes 217 NeFAZ buses, produced by the city-forming enterprise of our city – PJSC КАМАЗ. Comprehensive work is underway to modernize infrastructure, introduce advanced digital technologies, and ensure a qualitatively new level of safety. Over the past years, the enterprise has effectively created a modern production base: 4 transport terminals have been built, and modern repair bays equipped with all necessary equipment are in operation. For more than 50 years, electric transport has been an integral part of the city's transport system».
Next, the deputies moved on to legislative initiatives. Chairman of the State Council Committee of the Republic of Tatarstan on Economy, Investments and Entrepreneurship Ryagat Khusainov presented a draft law on expanding financial support measures for small and medium-sized businesses.
«The draft law establishes the possibility of providing financial support to small and medium-sized enterprises engaged in the extraction and use of therapeutic mud», – explained the Chairman of the State Council Committee of the RT on Economy, Investments and Entrepreneurship Ryagat Khusainov.
The proposal to establish a new professional holiday in the republic – Procurement Specialist Day – was also unanimously supported. Chairman of the State Committee of the Republic of Tatarstan for Procurement Marat Ziatdinov added: «Thousands of professional specialists are involved in the system of state and municipal procurement of the republic. Official recognition of the profession at the republican level is necessary to increase its prestige and attract young personnel».
In conclusion, Chairman of the State Council Committee of the Republic of Tatarstan on Housing Policy and Infrastructure Development Andrey Egorov and First Deputy Head of the State Construction Supervision Inspection of the Republic of Tatarstan Ilfart Safiullin presented a draft law on empowering local self-government bodies in the field of shared-equity construction.
All documents were recommended for adoption by the State Council.
At the end of the meeting, State Council deputy Oleg Nikolaev was awarded a letter of gratitude from the Chairman of the State Council of the Republic of Tatarstan – for many years of fruitful work and a significant contribution to the development of the republic's urban planning industry.