Putin announces ‘grand’ plans for national infrastructure development

ARZAMAS (TASS): Russian President Vladimir Putin has announced “ambitious, grand” plans for developing the country’s infrastructure.

“We have ambitious, grand plans for developing the country’s infrastructure. This covers not merely motorways but the infrastructure at large,” he said at the opening ceremony of the M-12 (the East) highway in the Nizhny Novgorod Region.

The Russian leader commented on a statement from regional governor Gleb Nikitin, who revealed that he did not believe in building such facilities within a short timeframe. “You know, the people have a saying that the eyes fear and the hands do. And each of us has a clever pair of hands,” Putin stressed.

Developing transport infrastructure is critical for Russia’s future, the President noted. “This is clear, considering our vast, enormous territory. It is followed by economic development in all areas, not merely tourism – everything starts evolving at an absolutely different pace when the transport infrastructure exists,” Putin added.