Oleg Valenchuk: All applications for grading this season will be fulfilled.

      Life outside the city, surrounded by nature, is becoming increasingly attractive to Kirov residents. Hundreds of gardeners' associations (SNTs), located a few kilometers from the urban hustle and bustle, are proof of this. However, the idyll of country life is impossible without quality transport infrastructure. And here the Road Program of State Duma deputy and chairman of the Union of Gardeners of Russia, Oleg Valenchuk, comes to the rescue. The program, in operation for more than ten years, actively addresses the condition of unpaved roads to the region's SNTs.

      The Pobedilovsky Tract is a vivid example of the successful implementation of this program. Dozens of SNTs, united by a common problem — poor roads — received long-awaited assistance. Overgrown weeds, potholes, ruts that hold water — all of this had made gardeners' lives difficult for decades. On small plots received 35–45 years ago from city enterprises and organizations, houses have been built, vegetable beds and flowerbeds planted, and recreation areas arranged. Many gardeners use them not only in summer but also in winter. Building a house, a banya, and arranging recreation areas — all this requires good transport accessibility.

      This year the program covered more than 40 SNTs along the Pobedilovsky Tract. The Union of Gardeners' grader carried out large-scale work, leveling more than 100 kilometers of unpaved roads. Special attention was paid to the road to a strategically important site — the Shiyam River, which gardeners use as a firefighting water source.

      “We are very grateful to the Union of Gardeners for this help,” says Viktor Mikhailovich, a representative of SNT “Aviator-3.” “Previously the approach to the water was overgrown and inaccessible to fire trucks. Its widening is not only an improvement in transport access but also a concern for the safety of our homes. From the outside one might think — oh, the grader just drove back and forth... But when you are there in person you understand what hellish work it is. So a special thank you for carrying out the work not just for show, but truly conscientiously!”

      All requests received from the chairmen of the SNTs on the Pobedilovsky Tract have been fulfilled, and from August 18 work will continue in the Orichevsky District. In total, more than 500 km of unpaved roads to SNTs are planned to be repaired this year.

      “The Road Program is gaining momentum,” says Oleg Valenchuk. “We fully understand that roads in SNTs are real lifelines. Without them people abandon their plots because it becomes impossible to reach the garden, bring seedlings or soil. I consider the Union of Gardeners’ priority task to be helping people who want and know how to work the land. Therefore, all applications submitted by the chairmen this year will be carried out.”