The government of the Irkutsk region in East Siberia is discussing 22 investment projects in the Slyudyansky area near the southern shore of Lake Baikal where authorities plan to develop tourism instead of paper pulp production, the regional government said on Monday.
The Slyudyansky area accommodates a town with a population of 14,000 people and the Baikal Pulp and Paper Mill. Last week, First Deputy Prime Minister Igor Shuvalov said the authorities would not stop production at the plant until 2015, when residents get new jobs. The workers may be employed in the tourist industry, he said.
The government will implement 14 tourist projects in the area, including the establishment of the Gora Sobolinaya tourist center, a museum and historical complex and comfortable hotels.
"We have eight projects in the industrial production segment, including setting up enterprises to develop marble, produce pharmaceuticals, plants and mini-plants to bottle Baikal water, and fish processing enterprises in Baikalsk. The overall amount of planned investment stands at 7.5 billion rubles ($243.46 million)," the regional government said in a statement.
Russian and international environmental organizations were concerned in the past decades over the ecological state of the planet's largest freshwater lake. The Baikal Pulp and Paper Mill, launched in 1966, was considered the main danger to the lake. In September 2008, the plant was switched over to a closed water cycle under the demand of the Russian Nature Resources Ministry.
Lake Baikal is known for its natural beauty and biodiversity. Over 80% of the animals living in and around the lake are unique.
IRKUTSK, Russia, November 15 (RIA Novosti)
