Chisinau Municipal Council (CMC) will take a loan of 5 mln lei to finance the expenses of the Urban Bus Fleet (UBF). The credit will be contracted from the “Moldova-Agroindbank” that proposed the lowest interest rate – of 18% annually. To get the money from the bank UBP will have to deposit 7-8 buses as guarantee. The decision on crediting the loan was taken during the Thursday’s session of CMC. Initially it was proposed to take a loan of 10 mln lei, but it was convened to halve the sum, following debates. Independent councilor Mihai Roscovan believes it is normal that CMC funds development of UBF, but it is abnormal to finance the losses and expenses of the enterprise. The proposal to halve the requested sum was formulated by the communist councilors. UBF director Anatol Gheorghita stated that the 10 mln lei demanded by the enterprise are part of the 65.5 mln lei intended for this enterprise in the budget for 2006. But only 32.5 mln lei were allotted to date, and the enterprise calculated that the 10 mln lei would have been enough to cover the expenses for this year, the allotment of another about 18 mln lei from the envisaged sums being not already necessary. As the requested sum will not be entirely allocated, the issue of subsidizing the urban bus transportation will be brought up for discussions at the CMC by the end of the year, Gheorghita said. The own incomes of the enterprise were forecasted this year in the amount of about 22 mln lei, but in reality they could amount to 30 mln lei, taking into account the 60% increase in August in costs of bus tickets, Gheorghita added. Requested by Info-Prim Neo why the Municipal Council contracts bank loans as long as the budget accumulations are still taking place, independent councilor Igor Crapivca, member of the Commission for budget, economy, finances and local public patrimony, stated that this thing is happening because the municipality invested this year in more objectives that were not envisaged in the budget, as the renovation of roads, viaduct to Botanica district, construction of Pan Halippa street and dwellings for refugees. That is why the current debts of the municipal budget amount to over 300 mln lei just to commercial banks.