Pensioners stop protests, applaud and praise councilors

Applause and praise were head at the Chisinau City Hall on January 29 after the municipal councilors adopted the decision to grant free season tickets to pensioner and blood donors with merits. The pensioners said they had protested in front of the City Hall for four months, but achieved their goal, Info-Prim Neo reports. “The councilors heard us finally and offered us free season tickets. I proposed that the emeritus blood donors be also included in the list of persons who travel by public units of transport free of charge and the councilors accepted my proposal,” said the protests' organizer Maia Laguta, the head of “Salvgardare” Association. Maia Laguta also said that the protesters have one more request to the councilors – to implement the decision. “Not all the pensioners will manage to take their season tickets by February 1. That's why I asked that the councilors order not forcing the pensioners who do not have them to get out of buses and trolleybuses,” she said. More than 30 pensioners came to the Chisinau City Hall to protest against the City Council's decision to remove the pensioners from the list of persons entitled to travel by public units of transport gratis, made on September 15, 2009. The protest ended with tears of joy and applause. Pensioner Maria Corciu said she did not expect that they will obtain what they asked for. “We thought we will protest for ever and nothing will change. We thank the councilors for their decision,” she said. The pensioners started to protest on September 29, 2009.