Chisinau private passenger carriers still without regulations

Councilor Oleg Onishchenko suggested voting new regulations for private passenger carriers at Thursday’s meeting of the Chisinau Municipal Council (CMC). After contradictory discussions and mutual accusations, the councilors ended the meeting without voting on the given project, Info-Prim Neo reports. The leader of the PPCD faction in the CMC Alexandru Corduneanu, who chaired the meeting, said that the only efficient normative document in the area is the strategy for developing the urban public transport in the municipality of Chisinau, which was approved in 2006. Under the strategy, the Public Transport and Communications Division is to work out a plan of action and regulations for private carriers. The CMC approved the regulations in January 2009, but it turned out to contain many shortcomings, Corduneanu said. The regulations were repealed on May 14. The councilors argued that they run counter to a number of Government decisions and accused Oleg Onishchenko, who is the chairman of the commission that designates minibus route administrators, of using the regulations in his own interests.  Onishchenko denied the accusation. On Thursday, he proposed new regulations, saying that they were formulated also by the Public Transport and Communications Division. But this project was not approved by the Division, the deputy mayor in charge of transport and the Legal Division of the City Hall, as required by law. The PL member Tatiana Gutium said that the project forwarded by Onishchenko cannot be approved by the commission as its members have not been invited to the meeting. ”Onishchenko presents notices and projects that are not coordinated with officials of the local public administration, but drafted at secret meetings with closed doors so that they satisfy his own interests,” said Tatiana Gutium, who is a member of the commission. Acting mayor general Nistor Grozavu said that the CMC cannot approve this document because it contains violations. “We have enough criminal and administrative cases on the carriers’ activity that involve civil servants and municipal councilors. Therefore, the new regulations should be efficient and perfectly legal so as not to set precedents,” Grozavu said. ”The urban public transport needs this document and we cannot wait until the City Hall is willing to propose new regulations,” Onishchenko replied. “I suggest adopting this document now. At one of the next meetings, the Transport Division could propose amendments to it.” The councilors took a break without voting on the project. The CMC is to meet on July 10, but it is might not consider this issue. Late in May, the Mayor of Chisinau Dorin Chirtoaca issued an ordinance, allowing the private carriers to use a decision of 2000, which regulates the activity of the minibuses. The ordinance is valid until the CMC adopts new regulations. Oleg Onishchenko entered the CMC on the list of the Party of Humanists (PUM). After he made a number of statements that run counter to the party’s position, the members of the PUM separated themselves from him. Onishchenko announced the creation of the party “Our Home Moldova” on the basis of the NGO “Our Home Chisinau” that he headed. But the party was not registered.