As their terms in office near an end, not all the ministers have presented a report of activity. IPN decided to offer the outgoing officials the chance to tell about their accomplishments and failures at the helm of their ministries.
---
Minister of Transport and Road Infrastructure Vasile Botnari, was appointed in May 31, 2013, and said that during his short tenure he managed to initiative several absolutely necessary projects for the country that should be continued and expanded. “There are achievements we can be proud of and some failures we are obliged to repair”, said Botnari.
433 million lei for local roads
One the Ministry's most important projects in 2014 was the program of investments in local roads. For the first time, 433 million lei have been allotted from the Road Fund to this goal. The money was distributed to nearly 800 villages. The local authorities have already put to good use the money or are just finalizing the road repairs. Some of the village roads provide access to schools, kindergartens and medical centers. Practically, almost half of Moldova's population will benefit one way or another from the Ministry's program of rehabilitation of local roads.
The Ministry also continued the renovation of national roads. In 2013, the authorities began the repair of 300 km of roads, but the figure was bested in 2014. “At the moment, about 400 km are being repaired. And we are also preparing to begin work on 125 km more”, said the outgoing official.
Chisinau's ring road
Another project is the construction of the ring road around the Chisinau Municipality, which is absolutely necessary and will partly solve the issue of jams and the overcrowding of vehicles in the city. The total investments is estimated at 200 millions of euros, 52 of which will be offered by Moldova's European partners.
“For our citizens to benefit from this beltway, we decided to move in two directions simultaneously. One is the finalization of works on the design of the road for the sections that must be built from scratch. The second one is the rehabilitation of existent sections on the eastern part of the beltway. We will enlarge them to have 4 lanes and improve them according to European standards. The works will begin in the spring of 2015 so that the first 33 km of ring road will be usable in 2016”, said Botnari.
On December 25, the National Administration of Roads announced a tender for the rehabilitation of the first road segment of 7 km. The value of the contract is 9.4 million euros, offered by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. The tenders for the next two sections of the beltway will be announced in the near future.
The renovation of bus stations
In 2014, the Ministry of Transports launched a program for the renovation of bus stations throughout the country. In Chisinau, the North Bus Station's operational surface was doubled and a new platform was built in order to increase the station's bus service capacity. In 2015, a new block will be raised for passengers. According to the minister, the plan is to modernize all the bus stations in Moldova, not only those in Chisinau.
This year, a renovated bus station was opened in Straseni. Works have been finished on the Calarasi and Floresti bus stations, while in Ungheni a new one is being built from scratch and will be soon inaugurated. “We won't stop here. Next year, we'll continue to repair bus stations throughout the country, which are in a disastrous state”, said Bumacov.
Air and water transport
Air transport is becoming more popular among Moldovans, after the necessary conditions have been met to attract new companies that in turn lead to lower fares. The authorities provided the new companies guarantees that they will have the necessary conditions to operate their flights.
“After 25 years of stagnation, navigation on the Prut River up to Cahul was resumed in July 2013. In July 2014, navigation was extended up to Cantemir. Works are underway to adjust the river bed for navigation up to Leova and Ungheni. In August 2014, we started to export grains by ships on the Prut. Special equipment was installed to load grains on barges. In just a month, we exported over 20,000 tonnes of grains this way. Exports by ship are a cheaper alternative for producers who have been dealing with a shortage of freight cars. River transport is 7 cheaper than road transport”, said the official. Meanwhile, the modernization of the Giurgiulesti Free Port continues and its capacity has been increased. In the first half of 2014, 306,000 tonnes of cargo passed through the port, double the amount from the same period of 2013.
Botnari remarked that Moldova now has air ambulances as the air medical service has been restored after a 20 year hiatus. “This was a personal ambition that we have managed to put into practice. Tens of patients in severe condition have benefited from this service and we plan to buy modern helicopters in order to expand the service”, said the official.
Reform at Railway Company
An large internal reform has been started at the Moldovan Railway Company (CFM) in order to modernize the institution. According to Botnari, this is a strategic company which must work according to a new principle – that of efficiency. Concrete tasks with strict deadlines have been set. As regards investments, the authorities are looking both at external donors and at CFM's own resources. Recently, EBRD has approved the allotment of 52 million euros for the modernization of locomotives and railways. The official expects a similar loan from the European Investment Bank. “It's good to have new machinery, but if we can modernize what we have, we mustn't miss this opportunity. We are ready with the prototype of the modernized railroad car in Chisinau and it will serve as basis for the renovation of railroad cars”, said Botnari.
What the Ministry hasn't managed
“Despite accomplishments in each branch of transports, we realize there is still a lot of work to do”, admitted Botnari. The network of roads, especially the local ones, is so damaged because of tens of years of neglect, that it needs large investments and extensive works. A similar situation is in the railway sector, where it is impossible to bring in a year a change to be felt by everyone. “We have to understand that each leu invested in Moldova's roads, railways and other means of transportation will repay thrice its value through the general economic development of the country”, stressed the outgoing official.
Botnari said that he didn't manage to open as many road repair sites as planned because of difficult procedures. Additionally, there are construction companies that lag behind the schedule. “We are also set on improving the quality of intercity public transports, which are in need of reorganization and a new approach, based on safety and quality”, said the Minister.
According him, the pace of investments in this field must continue regardless of the person that will next head the Ministry of Transports. The focus must remain on attracting new investments and the efficient use of available funds in priority sectors.
Mariana Galben, IPN
