Government remains uninvolved in solving hot water supply problem

Minister of Industry and Infrastructure Vladimir Antosii says that the Government did not influence Termocom in its decision to stop supplying hot water in Chisinau and the local administration can appeal to the court if it considers that the City Hall was cut off from the heat supply illegally. Vladimir Antosii told reporters on December 12 that Termocom is a joint stock company, “virtually a municipal enterprise” and the state and the ministry have no influence on it. “We cannot solve the problem at the moment because we must examine the legislation first,” the minister said. At the start of this week, the heat supplier Termocom SA halted the supply of hot water in Chisinau and disconnected the City Hall from the heat supply, warning that it will cut off all the institutions financed from the municipal budget, except the schools, kindergartens and healthcare institutions, if the heating charge of 540 lei is not restored. The local authorise said yet that they will not bow to Termocom’s pressure to restore the cancelled charge of 540 lei per gigacalorie and will not increase the tariff up to 715 lei as the supplier asked lately. Mihai Ghimpu, chairman of the City Council, said that the decision of Termocom SA to stop supplying hot water and to cut off certain economic agents is illegal and is punishable under the Criminal Code. He stated that the Council’s decision to restore the old charge of 233 lei was correct because the previous decision taken in January did not have legal support. He also said that when the given decision was made in January, the Government promised to allocate subsidies for heat, but it did not keep its promise. The Chisinau administration does not have financial resources to cover the difference between the old and new charge (307 lei per G-calorie) as the January decision stipulates, and will notify the Prosecutor’s Office of the illegal actions taken by the heat supplier. Eduard Musuc, the leader of the Social-Democratic faction, was entrusted with the task to open talks with the Government. On December 4, the City Council cancelled the heating charge of 540 lei fixed on January 25, 2007 and restored the old charge of 233 lei for an indefinite period.