Tuvan department of the All-Russian Party "Yedinaya Rossia" ("United Russia") has discussed a prospect of the railway to Tuva. Majority of its members support this project, reported Albert Khomushku, press-secretary of the party. "Yedinaya Rossia" is considered a party of power, and it is not for nothing that this report has appeared on the official site of the Tuvan Government. Tuvan authorities are wholly pro this project lobbied by a financial group close to Sergei Pugachiov, a Russian oligarch and a senator representing Tuva in the higher chamber of the Russian Parliament. Tuvan "Yedinaya Rossia" is logically of the same opinion. The idea of the railway to Tuva was initiated in the 70-ties of the last century but the necessity to build a tunnel through seismically unstable Sayany mountains and huge expenses put it off. Now it is reanimated due to the efforts of the senator's colleagues who are willing to export Tuvan coal.
Kaadyr-ool Bicheldei, ex-deputy of State Duma, currently a deputy of the Tuvan parliament, was the only one to speak of the poor consequences of this project for Tuva. He underlined that working people including cheap Chinese labour resources and even prisoners (what was a common practice in the Soviet past) will be attracted to this project not Tuvans. No investments will be given for the restoration of land. The project of the railway was not discussed at a local parliament level raised directly to the federal level where big interests are playing.
Current Tuvan deputy in the State Duma Chylgychy Ondar said that Yedinaya Rossia will support the railway project.