Russia’s deputy prime-minister Sergei Ivanov offers to create a special unitary structure in Russia’s federal government system that would oversee safety and security on all kinds of transport.

Sergei Ivanov suggested this idea as a topic for discussion at yesterday’s meeting summoned by the Russian government. The meeting was to see into the issues of additional safety and security measures in the view of the blast in Moscow Domodedovo airport on Monday evening 24 December.

The bomb of approximately 5 to 7 kg of plastid was triggered by a suicide bomber, leaving 35 dead and over hundred wounded.

Previous terrorist action affecting transport infrastructure occurred on 29 March 2010. That time two suicide bombers exploded their deadly loads at Lubyanka and Culture Park stations of the Moscow underground train system, killing 40 and wounding further 100.

Sergei Ivanov reminded that in July 2010 the Russian government approved of a comprehensive program for higher safety of the public on transport. This program lists a number of steps to be made by 2014. It comes with a financial package of Rouble 46.7 billion. Past year Rouble 7.8 billion was provided by the government. “This is a large amount of money, and yet we see what sort of result was”, Ivanov commented.

He believes that the key thing is not the money or shortage of it, but rather how the work is organized and how personal responsibilities are arranged. Not only state officials and officers of the order enforcement forces must carry the burden of responsibility, but also the proprietors of transport infrastructure objects, Ivanov added. He called for higher personal responsibilities for safety and security issues.