In the Central Committee of the CPSU (the Comunist Party of the Soviet Union), the former director of the Norilsk combine was responsible for the defining sectors of the economy.
All industries under the jurisdiction of the CPSU Central Committee secretary from 1972 to 1988 were successful. Including metallurgy. Vladimir Dolgih became the director of the Norilsk Mining and Metallurgical Combine named after Zavenyagin in a very difficult period, when all the rich deposits were worked out. At the end of the 1950s, it was suggested to stop the work in Norilsk, but with the discovery of the Talnah deposit, the situation changed radically.
At the beginning of 1962, the chief engineer of the combine was appointed director, and the construction of the first mine began immediately. It was risky, since the calculation of reserves was preliminary. If the calculations had not been confirmed, the combine and its director would have found themselves in a difficult situation.
Having moved to the post of first secretary of the Krasnoyarsk regional party committee, and then to the Central Committee of the CPSU, Dolgih continued considering himself an economic manager primarily. And his main activity was aimed at solving important production and personnel issues of the metallurgical, oil, gas, coal industries, construction, energy, transport and communications.
He can be considered a fan of Norilsk. Not a single important event in the Norilsk industrial region could do without Dolgih. As a secretary of the Central Committee, he always watched the Nadezhda metallurgical plant: in 1981, he came with the minister of non-ferrous metallurgy, Peter Lomako, to the commissioned plant and, first of all, the Talnah Concentrator, visiting mining enterprises and copper smelters.
1982 was no exception, marked by the beginning of the Taimyrsky mine construction and the Nadezhdinsky metallurgical plant establishment. The distinguished guest was also interested in the work of kindergartens, cafes, canteens and shops. In 1982, a shortage of food products also affected prosperous Norilsk.
The half-century chronicle of all visits of the state, political and public figure Vladimir Dolgih to the Norilsk industrial region is kept in the photo archive of the Nornickel Polar Division.
For other materials of our photo project, see the History spot tag
Text: Varvara Sosnovskaya, Photo: Nornickel Polar branch archive
