Putin demands solution to issue of land allocation for housing, farms
MOSCOW. July 17 (Interfax) - Russian President Vladimir Putin said more than 90% of the land owned by the Defense Ministry, Agriculture Ministry, Russian Railways (RZD) and Academy of Sciences was not being used.
"The biggest landowners among the federal structures are the Defense Ministry, Agriculture Ministry, RZD and Academy of Sciences, and 95% of their land is not being used," Putin said at a meeting of the State Council.
Putin said land reform has been carried out in Russia for 20 years, "and we have still not brought the process of forming agricultural land plots and registering title of ownership to them to its conclusion."
Allocating land for housing construction and private farming are two problems that desperately need to be solved in Russia today, he said.
"We don't intend to let a historic chance to radically change the situation in the housing sphere pass us by. We need to solve the problem of land allocation if 60% of families are going to be housed in the next eight years," Putin said.
The Federation Council has already approved a law on the procedure for allocating land free of charge for the construction of budget housing, he said.