Termocom warns to make another financial claim against Municipality

Chisinau's main heat supplier Termocom warned it would take legal action against the Municipality to claim 120 million lei if the city authorities fail to adjust heating rates by October 12, Info-Prim Neo reports. “While last year Termocom owed 36 million lei to its suppliers, this year the company is 270 million lei in debt, because of the City Hall's failure to pay its contribution on time. It is a huge sum and I don't imagine how Moldova-Gaz will accept to deliver gas under this circumstances. I believe this might endanger the provision of the whole country with gas”, declared Termocom manager Dionisie Antocel. He complained the City Hall transferred this year 'only' 60 million lei of what was agreed. “The 112 million lei that the City Hall thinks it transferred this year should have been transferred from last year's budgetary leftover, which was channeled into campaigning instead”, said Antocel. According to him, the 50 million lei which the Municipality promised to transfer next week will not save the situation and the heating season will begin later than planned. He suggests the only solution is to raise the heating rates. To meet Termocom's financial claim and ensure that radiators across Chisinau will not remain chill when the weather turns colder, City Council chair Eduard Musuc appealed to the Government for 240 million lei in financial aid. In return, he promised that Mayor Dorin Chirtoaca would soon come up with a readjustment scheme for the heating and hot water rates as well as with a debt repayment plan to settle things with Termocom. But the Government's reply seems not at all encouraging. “The financial problems affecting Chisinau must be solved with resources from its own budget. It would be unfair to favor Chisinau in this manner. Other districts face problems too, but they must solve them on their own”, Prime Minister Zinaida Greceanyi replied. In support, Deputy Local Public Administration Minister Sergiu Tatarov informed that the stocks of fuel for heating in Moldova's districts cover 68 percent of the demand. The most alarming situation is in the districts of Glodeni, Falesti, Straseni and Ialoveni, where the heating fuel stocks are enough to take them just through 40 percent of the upcoming cold season.