Eight cities to speak directly with Putin.

MOSCOW, December 3 (Itar-Tass) - Eight cities will be directly linked
with Prime Minister Vladimir Putin during his conversation with Russian
citizens. Although, according to the tradition, the conversation between
Putin and people is being prepared in secret, some particulars of the
coming special programme "Conversation with Vladimir Putin. Continued"
have become known.
"The direct line" conversation with Putin will be made for the eighth
time. The premier is expected to speak with residents of Pikalyovo City
which became known all over the country six months ago. At the time,
workers of three factories sealed off a federal highway three times, and
Putin had to come there to thrash out things.
Following this event, the word "Pikalyovo" rooted down in folklore:
video clips were shot about the city, songs and verses were written, while
phrases, addressed by angered Putin to owners of factories, were repeated
by people all over the country. For instance: "Why did you start scurrying
to and fro like cockroaches just before my arrival?"
According to Itar-Tass information, Putin plans to speak with workers
of the alumina factory so as to check up how his instructions have been
fulfilled, and what the situation is now in the city from the viewpoint of
ordinary people.
Togliatti is another city with whose citizens the premier intends to
speak. The fate of the AVTOVAZ factory, hence their own destiny, is
evidently a headache for residents. In general, the topic of engineering
will be evidently one of the main during the coming conversation between
Putin and people. According to a source, this is why the on-line TV
conversation will link Moscow and Komsomolsk-on-Amur in the Russian Far
East.
Its citizens are now lively discussing a possibility of opening a new
car factory to assemble Japanese Nissan cars with participation of the
Renault Company (one of stockholders of AVTOVAZ). Citizens want to ask the
cabinet head how trustworthy these rumours are.
Naberezhnye Chelny in the Tatarstan Republic is also interested in the
topic of engineering. Workers of the KAMAZ factory, located in the city,
are sure to put questions directly to Putin. The premier promised to send
them a special TV camera when he visited recently the enterprise.
According to Itar-Tass, mobile TV studios will be also set up in
Sayanogorsk, situated close to the Sayano-Shushenskaya hydropower station.
The premier and residents will speak about restoring the station and
payments to specialists and their families who suffered during the
disaster at the power plant.
-0-bur