Communist councilors seek annulment of decisions to raise fares and water charges

The Communist councilors of the Chisinau Municipal Council (CMC) demand that the decisions to increase water and sewerage charges and trolleybus and bus fares be annulled. At a news conference on Thursday, the faction of the Communists Party (PCRM) issued a statement, accusing the Chisinau City Hall and the Liberal-Democratic factions in the CMC of incompetence and of promoting hidden political and financial interests, Info-Prim Neo reports. The statement comes in connection with the CMC's September 15 decision to raise the trolleybus and bus fares and the tariffs on the water supplied by SA Apa-Canal Chisinau. The given decisions were made by the factions of the PL, PLDM, AMN and partially PSD, while the Communist faction left the meeting hall in protest. Communist councilor Valery Pavlov considers that the Mayor of Chisinau Dorin Chirtoaca tries to cover the budget deficit created during the last few months from the pockets of the deprived groups of people, showing thus professional and managerial incompetence. “The municipal budget can be augmented as there is great potential in Chisinau, but this potential is not developed due to incompetence or certain economic interests. The land auctions and the privatization of nonresidential buildings were stopped. The illegal trade in the city flourishes. The cars are parked in unauthorized places. The money from advertising do not reach the municipal budget. The owners of luxury villas do not pay taxes and for public utilities, while the City Hall takes no step to increase budget collections, but raises tariffs,” Valerii Pavlov said. On September 15, the CMC decided to increase the trolleybus fare from 1 leu to 2 lei, the bus fare – from 2 lei to 3 lei and a cubic meter of water and sewage – from 5.04 lei to 9.17 lei for household consumers and from 20.14 lei to 22.96 lei for economic entities.