Chisinau authorities to announce investment contest for reconstruction of bus stops

Chisinau Municipal Council rejected Tuesday November 28 a draft decision on signing an investment contract with the “Epa Media” JSC. The councilors motivated that the preparation of the draft decision that envisaged empowering interim mayor to sign the contract leaves much to be desired. Interim mayor of Architecture, Urbanism Land Resources Nicon Zaporojan said that the Austrian firm proposed the municipality 300 waiting pavilions in stations of the public transport free of charge, in exchange for giving it the right to provide advertising services. They were to be installed in the capital, made of transparent materials, at a price of USD 7,000 per unit. According to Zaporojan, in ten years, when the commercial company would have recovered its investment, it would have donated the pavilions to the municipality. Two similar stations are already placed on Pan Halippa street. Independent councilor Mihai Roscovan initially proposed CMC to approve the Regulations regarding the visual publicity in Chisinau, a special commission to approve the station-type that the municipality needs and to organize an investment contest where the Austrian firm can participate in as well. This thing will make the transaction more transparent, Roscovan asserts. The respective commission was composed of councilors and employees from the City Hall. Head of Public Transport Division Veaceslav Tarna said at the CMC session that over 230 waiting stations need an urgent renovation, an impossible thing in the next two years due to the lack of finances. According to Tarna, another 80 pavilions in waiting stations have been assigned to the economic agents who “chased the people waiting public transport out in the street and built kiosks instead of creating proper conditions for them”.