Albert Salikhov: “Walk around the city- everything is done for you here”

The head of the Vakhitovsky and Privolzhsky city districts, spoke to the KZN.RU portal about his hobbies and some aspects of his work

Albert Salikhov has been in charge of the Vakhitovsky and Privolzhsky city districts since 2022. During this time, two new schools have been built, the overhaul of canteens in 11 schools, and the preparation of an inclusive center with a training apartment for children with disabilities on Ippodromnaya Street. However, these transformations are not the only things he has been working on. Albert Salikhov shared his plans, non-obvious responsibilities as the head of administration, and prospects for the future development of the districts with the correspondent from the KZN portal.

You have been in the position of head for almost two years now. How has this affected your daily life?

The first thing I noticed is that I stopped checking my phone while driving. I don't check emails or notifications anymore. When I was working at the Sports Committee, I could access documents in the car, but now I can't. My eyes are focused on our city, to make sure I don't miss any garbage, uncut grass or broken road signs. Looking around on guard become second nature to me.

When I walk with my family, I unconsciously inspect our surroundings. It's funny, because I do this even in other city districts. If there's something wrong, I take photos and send them to other people.

What do you enjoy about your work and what do you dislike?

There are two sides to every coin. As Ilsur Metshin, the Mayor of Kazan, has said, we have five goals and three bullets. That is, we always lack bullets (resources). We don't have a magic wand that can improve the entire city of Kazan, clean up all the garbage, and solve all problems at once.

However, I also appreciate the fact that we still have these resources, these tools. And thanks to them, we are able to solve most of our tasks.

Can you describe your perfect day in five words?

I can describe it in five steps: wake up, go to work, take the magic wand, use it and solve all your problems (laughs).

What are some non-obvious responsibilities that the head has?

If communication with residents is an obvious responsibility, then the main issue is not always about communicating with them. I could say that I work part-time as a psychologist.

For instance, there are cases when two neighbors live and argue with each other for nearly 10 years. I act as a mediator: I try to understand who is right and who is wrong; I find out which neighbor is causing noise, who comes home late, and who uses power tools. After that, we attempt to resolve the issue.

At work, I also have to climb rooftops, wade through waist-high grass, and walk through knee-deep mud, wearing rubber boots. I also drive around neighborhoods and settlements every morning at an early hour.

What kind of development is planned for the districts in the next ten years?

It has been said many times that Kazan is a city on the Volga without the Volga. It is not a secret that we lack it. But thanks to the renovation of our territories, we will have a long-awaited access to the river. The renovation will affect our districts, including the Lokomotiv beach and the river port. A responsible task lies ahead, as the entire city will benefit from this project.

We will continue to develop the M14 residential area with all necessary social infrastructure, and it is planned to fully restore the Old Tatar settlement.

Today, we are working hard so that in 10 years, when we look back at archival photos, we can see how much progress has been made.