City authorities compelled to pay equivalent of apartments awarded to certain categories of population by law

Chisinau authorities are very likely to be compelled to pay money in lieu of apartments granted by law to some categories of population, like police officers, prosecutors and judges, which the municipality is unable to award. Deputy Mayor Igor Lupulciuc told Info-Prim Neo that at the moment there is a number of laws that require the local administration to ensure some categories of population with housing. For example, the Law on police obliges local public authorities to provide the employees of the Ministry of Internal Affairs with dwelling. An officer is entitled to dwelling after a year of work, while a simple policeman – after three years. As over the past 15 years the city hall managed to build only three residential blocks, it is unable today to provide these categories with a place to live. Yet, persons resorting to court are most likely to win the suit. Therefore, there are now about 120 enforceable titles in the address of the City Hall, deputy mayor said. While in the past courts forced local authorities to offer hosing to the plaintiffs, now it obliges them to pay the plaintiffs the equivalent of the flats they are entitled to by law, the cited source said. In my opinion, Igor Lupulciuc said, it would be cheaper for local authorities to build new houses than to pay the beneficiaries the market value of the apartments. Such court decisions can have a political background, Lupulciuc says, adding that the Chisinau Municipal Council must urgently come up with a decision regarding the construction of buildings; otherwise it will be unable to finance other projects in the budgetary sector.