“I will not permit that the Chisinau authorities be blackmailed and that the population be treated with disrespect,” Mayor Dorin Chirtoaca said after the commercial director of SA Termocom Mihai Arusoi informed him about the decision of the thermoelectric plant CET-2 to sequestrate the heat supplier's accounts for not paying the debts. Chisinau-Gaz also warned the company over the delay in settling the current payments, Info-Prim Neo reports. Though the heat in Chisinau is supplied according to the ordinary regime, the creditors of Termocom warn the company it could be disconnected from the gas supply or it could have its accounts sequestrated. Termocom now owes 136 million lei to CET-2 for the 2007-2008 heating season. The debt to Chisinau-Gaz is 39.5 million lei, 28 million lei of which represents the debt for the last month. “If the population has the right to pay the bills during 12 months, Chisinau-Gaz's request to make the payments during the first ten days of the next month is absurd,” the mayor said. “CET-2 does not have the right to exert pressure. It refuses to reduce the tariffs though the purchase price of gas decreased. I think the company should undergo a financial inspection. During the last two years, the allocations made to the thermoelectric plants from the Chisinau budget were larger than during the 18 years of independence taken together.” Mihai Arusoi said they are negotiating a debt rescheduling timetable with CET-2. Even if the weather grew colder, the number of accidents on the heating pipes remained unchanged, by 3-4 in every district of Chisinau daily. The previous years, this figure was 25 accidents on average a day.