On June 12, 2009 about 200 residents of the village of Elbrus blocked the motor road to Prielbrussie. The cause of the incident is the intention of the authorities of the enterprise to reduce the staff list to 11 units. The incident was over only after the visit of the President Arsen Kanokov. 

Protestants of which 65 % were women - relations of the employees of the cable way nominated for the reduction demanded 51 % of shares of the public corporation at par for the workers and holding the property on lease. They also said it was necessary to make an inventory of the land in the Elbrus district and to adjust the frontier zone in accordance with the federal law. One of the protestants claimed that his salary had been considerably reduced.           

The head of the republic answered all questions. He said that he was ready to initiate handing cable ways to the municipal government of the village of Elbrus. In that case the inhabitants of Elbrus will face the problem of getting money to construct, develop and keep the cable way. "More than one billion roubles are invested into the construction of the cable way. Not less will be invested. Its maintenance requires special training with the participation of overseas specialists. Out of 8 billion roubles of the budget money allotted for the Federal programme "The South of Russia" 6 billion is directed to the development of the infrastructure of Prielbrussie. But money is not invested aimlessly, there must be a return. But till now expanses of maintaining cable ways exceed income. That is why we must understand the reasons and optimize the work. Revenue from tourism in Prielbrussie is directed to the development of the Elbrus district. By the way 30 % of all investment in the republic is directed to the district"- said the head of the republic.   

He also noted that the republic will own the shares of the enterprise without alienation by anybody up to 2012 until the construction of cable ways is finished. "Everything constructed here will stay here. It will be left for you and your children. You know that according to the strategy of development of Prielbrussie 10 thousand jobs are planned to be created here with the priority of distributing them among local people. Nobody will occupy them" - assured Arsen Kanokov. He emphasized he would check the legality of firing people. The Head of the republic promised to discuss the question of frontier zones with the head of the Frontier Service.    

All actions of the authorities on the development of Prielbrussie will be transparent and consider the local population's point of view. Nobody will loose the job or business. But some sales outlets that do not meet the requirements and sanitary code will be reconstructed. Those who ran their businesses on legal grounds will get adequate substitution in other places. An inventory of plots of land in Prielbrussie will be made. Legality of their distribution will be checked. 

There were questions about illegal deforestation, gambling machines in hotels, Tyrnaus ore dressing and processing enterprise, there were applications for financial aid, complaints that local inhabitants' children were not sent abroad to study. The President said that unauthorized deforestation is inadmissible and he would order to check the problem.          

"We must extirpate the wish to earn on gambling mania. The republican law has been in force for two years already, the federal law forbidding gambling business has come into force. So we shall take the situation very seriously" - the president said. Speaking about Tyrnaus ore dressing and processing enterprise the head of the republic emphasized that he had been looking for investors for three and a half years: "We suggested it free of charge under the condition of restoration and production launching, negotiated with a number of serious investors but unfortunately they refused in the long run. The payback period is too long while the investments are rather high". 

The president informed that 15 million roubles had been allotted to pay back the salary debt in Tyrnaus ore dressing and processing enterprise. Answering the question about sending young people of Elbrus district to study abroad he noted: "The only condition is that the knowledge of English meets necessary requirements. The place where they live or their nationality doesn't have anything to do with it. The Ministry of Economic Development fails to get required number of people due to their poor knowledge of English".    

Arsen Kanokov emphasized that we should seek unification points of the people inhabiting Kabardino-Balkaria rather then try and separate and isolate them. "We can not afford getting involved in ethnic conflicts. All inhabitants of the republic suffer from it because constant playing up on the question affects our economy and puts the breaks on its development. We have paved the road of stable development and achieved certain success within 3 last years. Specifically having cut the debts we managed to increase the budget from 6 billion to 21 billion roubles. Of course we didn't solve all problems, we have done much though. I think you don't want us to lose what we have achieved. Ask yourselves: "Who will win from the disturbance?" I don't think citizens of Kabardino-Balkaria will".

Arsen Kanokov promised to see the residents of Elbrus district in his office in the nearest future.

Summing up the conversation the head of the republic accentuated that it was inadmissible and harmful to take extreme measures while solving problems. "You see that the authorities are open at most and ready to discuss all questions. But we must solve them together through the dialogue, and find legal ways out without blocking roads and organizing disturbances. I think you realize that creating inconveniences for tourists will only harm and harm inhabitants of Elbrus district first of all".

Answering the question on reducing the salary of one of the employees the representative of the managing organ said that he had got less money according to the law because he had been absent for a long time on a sick leave. In general the salary of the employees of the cable way in Prielbrussie is higher then in the republic on the average and it is paid in time.