Streets are cleared of snow nonstop, Chisinau authorities

Snow removal works are performed continuously, but most of the works are carried out during the night when the traffic is not so heavy. More than 100 snowplows are now working on the Chisinau streets. The costs incurred during the last two days amounted to 1.2 million lei, Info-Prim Neo reports. On December 17, Mayor General Dorin Chirtoaca called an extraordinary meeting to discuss the problems caused by the weather. Though most of the machines are old and work slower, they cleared of snow 50% of the access roads and 80% of the main streets. According to the head of the General Public Transport and Communications Division Veaceslav Tarna, the works are performed with difficulty owing to the heavy traffic and the large number of vehicles parked in unauthorized places. He said that most of the accidents are blamed on the drivers who did not change the tires or do not know how to behave in such situations. Petru Gontea, the head of the Housing Division, said the Division's services work mainly during the day, when it is easier to enter apartment buildings' courts as there are not so many vehicles parked there. He added that only 17 machines were engaged in snow removal works on December 15, but this number was almost doubled the second day. The district heads of Chisinau complained many economic entities do not fulfill their duty to clean the snow from the adjacent areas and this work is done by the communal services. The company Epa Media also did not clear all the bus and trolleybus stations managed by it. Mayor Dorin Chirtoaca ordered sending a warning letter to the company, saying that if it does not honor its obligations they will have to terminate the contract with it. He called on the population to help remove the snow and expressed his satisfaction with the fact that none of the Chisinau institutions stopped work. The heavy snowfalls during the last two days caused problems mainly to the buses running on routes. The trolleybuses and minibuses work normally. Though with delay, the people get to the places they need.