The mayor’s offices of Orhei and Telenesti launched four projects to develop local infrastructure and improve the local public services based on an innovatory mechanism for Moldova – participatory planning and implementation. Under the mechanism, the inhabitants decide by themselves the problems they face and the most appropriate solutions to them at public discussions. The four initiatives, to the value of over €350,000, were implemented within the project “Promoting participatory planning and implementation as an efficient mechanism for community empowerment and sustainable local development” that is financed by the European Union, IPN reports.

In the project completion ceremony, Mayor of Telenesti town Vadim Lelic said that one of the implemented projects solved the problem of absence of playgrounds at the local kindergartens. Owing to the financing of 570,000 lei, with the locals’ contribution of 10.5%, the over 340 children attending the kindergartens now have playgrounds that meet the security and safety standards. Within the same project, the sewerage system in Izvoras sector of Telenesti was extended and a new pumping station was put into operation. As a result, the sewerage and water charges will decrease. The total cost of the project was 750,000 lei, with the community contributing 32% or 240,000 lei.

Deputy mayor of Orhei Roman Botan said that through the two projects implemented in the town, street lighting was extended on seven streets, on a distance of 5 km. There were installed 25 transformer points that allow further extending public lighting. About 10,000 inhabitants of Orhei are the direct beneficiaries of this project. The project was implemented at a cost of 560,000 lei, with a contribution of 9% from the locals. Within the second project, there were set up 23 video surveillance cameras in public areas. As a result, the crime rate in the town fell by 20%. The cost of the project was also 560,000 lei and the locals also contributed 9%.

Mihai Roscovan, coordinator of the Joint Integrated Local Development Program (JILDP) that is implemented by UNDP and UN WOMEN, said the partnership between Telenesti and Orhei was established not only because they are neighboring districts, but also because they have been the most dynamic towns in the last 5-7 years. The JILDP has cooperated with Telenesti district for several years, offering technical assistance in working out the first urban master plan and, more recently, helping implement the first inter-municipal partnership project, launched in 2013 by Telenesti town and eight villages of Telenesti and Sangerei districts, within which the communities collect household waste together. On July 11, 2014 the Program offered US$1 million for extending the good Telenesti practices to another 10 cluster settlements with a total population of 120,000, where there were already launched 10 inter-municipal cooperation projects in different areas, including waste collection, public lighting, sewerage and water supply. By these projects, the desideratum of the decentralization reform – powerful mayor’s offices – involved citizens – local public services of a high quality – is being achieved.