21 February 2000
DAILY REVIEW FROM TATARSTAN
Tatarstan Television To Get Its Own Channel
Tatarstan's Ministry of Communications announced on 18 February that the republic's state television would get its own channel independent of the federal television and radio company. Tatarstan's TRT TV Company currently broadcasts from 18:00 to 23:00 using the Russian RTR channel. The chief of the television and radio department at the Communications Ministry, Stanislav Stepanov, said federal bodies have already allotted TRT its own frequency in the metric band. Republican media reports that the first broadcasts will begin in July but it's still unclear who will foot the some 150 million rubles in minimal costs.
Judge Sacked For Children Abuse
A member of Tatarstan's Supreme Court, Anatolii Matveev, was removed from the bench after he was convicted of child abuse, the court's chairman, Gennadii Baranov, told the republican press on 18 February. The Russian Federal Supreme Court insisted on the firing after Matveev was found guilty of inflicting injuries on a 12-year-old boy when he stuffed the kid into a trash can after he scratched the judge's new Pontiac car. The republican Supreme Court offered a more lenient verdict for Matveev--despite protests from Baranov--but the superior federal court overruled that decision.
Power Lines Stolen For Scrap Metal
Nineteem kilometers of electric wires were stolen in Tatarstan last week, Tatenergo's security and regime service engineer, Gumar Husainov, told Tatarinform on 21 February. At power stations in Kazan and Alabuga, as well as electric wires in the Drozhan region were attacked by scrap metal thieves, reportedly causing the destruction of expensive power regulating equipment.
Tatarstan Does Not Apply For Federal Funds
According to the list of Russian regions due to receive additional federal transfers for paying off wage arrears, since Tatarstan doesn't owe anything to its state employees it did not apply for and will nt receive any emergency funds for this purpose.
Compiled by Iskender Nurmi