The IPN news agency identified some issues that affect the Chișinău municipality and asked the candidates who run for mayor of the capital to present solutions.
Andrei Donică, "Speranța - Надежда" Professional Movement candidate, claimed that most of the unfinished constructions were used in complicated illegal schemes. "Namely, the seizure of the land under these illegal constructions, with the help of a single a decision from the Municipal Council. In fact, city councilors do not have the right to allocate or lease land. They only have the right to decide what public goods can be auctioned, which is not happening”, said Andrei Donică.
According to him, "after the land is stolen as previously described, it is used as a pledge for a bank loan, which subsequently is utilized in order to build a large building". "However, the building process is ceased. The unfinished building is also used as a pledge for a larger bank loan. Upon receiving the money, constriction works are immediately stopped, while the perpetrators disappeared with the money. Due to these schemes, Chișinău is full of unfinished constructions”, explained Andrei Donică.
The "Speranța - Надежда" Professional Movement representatives claimed that the only way to deal with this issue is to demolish the illegal constructions.
Ion Ceban, The Socialist Party candidate, is of the opinion that the capital is like a household that was run by an incompetent householder. "The legal-normative framework isn't always applied. Why not? This is a very good question, which should be addressed to the former leaders of the City Hall. They preferred to concern themselves with their personal pocket more than with the interests of the residents of Chișinău. We, the PSRM councilors, took all the legal measures we could, ranging from blocking construction sites to filing lawsuits against companies that did not comply with the law, in order to combat the phenomenon. I always say that problems start at the top, which is why, if we take over the City Hall, along with our team of councilors, we will eliminate this occurrence”, said Ion Ceban.
The candidate claimed that, together with his team, he has carried out a comprehensive analysis of about two hundred constructions in Chișinău and detected that each one of them had violations. On the topic of purposely abandoned constructions, Ion Ceban said that each case should be individually examined. "Either the owners will assume responsibility for the rational management of their property or they will be sanctioned or, worst case scenario, they will lose these properties. Chișinău cannot and should not look bad. An aggravating factor is the fact that some owners got a hold on their assets under strange circumstances. Those who will not comply with the requirements of the City Hall will have their buildings demolished”, claimed Ion Ceban.
The mayoral hopeful said that he will not tolerate illegalities. According to him, "If those who built them will not comply, the illegal constructions will be demolished, while the city will recover all expenses in court".
Teodor Cârnaţ, the Political Party "Voința Poporului" candidate, expressed his opinion that the city looks horrible, with façades and annexes built and painted differently. "The general urban plan of Chișinău (PUG) must be adopted, which would impose requirements related to the architectural aspect, such as the destination and the color of the buildings and the width of the streets. Similarly, we do not have a Zonal Urban Plan (PUZ), which is why, we must urgently stop the transformation of the historical center of Chișinău into a market by adopting the PUZ. As a result, new districts must be developed in the municipality, similar to the Ciocana district”, said the electoral competitor.
Asked about derelict buildings, Teodor Cârnaț answered that, if said buildings belong to the public domain, then they must be renovated, reconstructed, rehabilitated and used according to their destination. If the building is privately owned, then it is necessary to put in place policies that would require owners to rebuild the real estate, if not, then penalties should be applied.
The candidate would also apply penalties in the case of illegal constructions. "If these constructions are illegal, then sanctions must be applied, while the constructions should be subject to demolition, which should be strictly supervised. If city planning certificates and building permits have been issued in violation of the law, then the perpetrators must be identified and sent to court. In order to prevent such situations from happening in the future, PUG and PUZ must be adopted as a matter of urgency”, said Teodor Cârnaț.
