Suburban mayors disappointed with municipality’s snow-removal efforts

The mayors of Chisinau’s suburban settlements are dissatisfied that the municipality is not helping them in their road-clearing efforts. Speaking at Monday’s City Hall meeting, the mayor of Stauceni town, Valentin Satnic, expressed his indignation to the municipality, reminding that the suburban roads were built with the financial effort of the local mayor’s offices, yet the road taxes paid by the passenger carriers serving the suburbs are now collected by the municipal budget. Alexei Varlan, deputy head of the city transport department, said that, according to a mayoral ordinance, the department has to clear only the main roads crossing the suburban settlements, while snow-clearing of the secondary roads is the responsibility of the suburban authorities. The suburban mayors asked the City Hall to at least assist them in hiring snow removal contractors. Chisinau Mayor Dorin Chirtoaca showed satisfaction with the way the transport department handled the recent snowfall, despite the old and scarce snow removal fleet. He instructed the department to continue clearing the secondary streets in the municipality and to remove glare ice from the roads. The city authorities informed that only a street in Chisinau – Vadul lui Voda - remains impracticable and advised the motorists to avoid it for the time being.