The municipality is ready to support the increase in heating subsidies only if additional funds are provided by the Government for the purpose as all the municipal revenues are transferred to the central budget, mayor genteral Ion Ceban said following a demonstration staged by PAS councilors, who argued that the mayor opposes raising the heating subsidy from 40% to 60%, IPN reports.

According to Ion Ceban, there is no territorial entity in Moldova that would offer what the municipality offers. The municipality now pays 40% of the heating bill for the cold period of the year for low-income families directly to the supplier. It is over 90 minion lei for tens of thousands of beneficiaries.

“The administration that controls the Presidential Office, Parliament, the Government and has overall power in the state, not to mention other institutions that that have been subjugated, come to protest at the Chisinau City Hall, both MPs and councilors. Tomorrow we will have ministers, presidential advisers or someone else at Chisinau City Hall,” said the mayor, noting that not the municipality raised the gas rates and heating costs.

“If you want to supplement our budget, you can do it and we will offer higher subsidies. There is a CMC decision that was signed by practically all the councilors.”

In the flashmob event earlier today, PAS councilor Ruslan Cojuhari said that a week ago the councilors of their group proposed increasing the heating subsidy to 60% given that the natural gas and heat rates were raised. The Government allocated 1.7 billion lei for supporting the population, but the local public authorities should also offer support. In a week, the mayor rejected the proposal.