Alexander Subbotin held a direct telephone line
A practice has developed over the years: officials of various levels every Saturday for three hours enter into, as they say, "close contact" with the population. Any citizen of our country has the opportunity to call a leader, a state administrator, to express their concerns directly, and sometimes even without mincing words, to complain, ask a question, and ask for help. The main thing is that the person will be heard, helped, consulted, and simply supported in a human way, without excessive bureaucracy.
Usually, journalistic materials from such events are structured in approximately the same way: so many calls were received, such and such problems were raised. As a result, decisions were made, and issues were put under control.
To observe the established protocol and not break traditions, I will, of course, inform the reader: this time, the chairman of the regional executive committee received 26 calls. People called from the regional center, Orsha, Postavy, Dokshitsy, Glubokoye. Traditionally, housing and communal services problems prevailed, and there were noticeably fewer issues regarding road quality.
For example, one applicant complained about the "dusty" dolomite coating that had recently been used to cover the roadway, and another caller asked to pay attention to the "Peskovatiki" microdistrict and asphalt their fourth of twelve "Lines" (as the streets in this private sector in Vitebsk are called).
– It is long overdue to start repairing the street network in the private sector. Draw up a work schedule even for five years, but so that people understand and know: even if not this year, but in a year, two, or if not everything is so critical, then in four to five years, everything on their street will be done, – Alexander Subbotin gave such an instruction to the chairman of the city executive committee, Alexey Geroev.
Of course, not everything can be done at once and with a solid coverage, but systematic work in this direction has already begun. Although, unlike specialists, we, ordinary citizens, are unfamiliar with and find the terms "categories": first, second stage, jarring. It seems that the road near our home is much closer to us, and therefore it should be repaired immediately. Preferably after a call to the "direct line". What is important: indeed, it will be paid attention to first. But this does not mean that others are not being thought about. This is precisely what is hidden behind such a general and, for many, empty concept – "systematic work".
The response to housing and communal services issues was also prompt this time in Vitebsk. Before the three hours allocated for the head of the region to talk with the residents of the region had even passed, Alexey Geroev indicated that at least four issues had already been resolved: a clogged sewer in the basement on K. Marx Street was cleared, hot water supply was restored in another house there, and a basement flooding was eliminated in one of the apartment buildings on Titov Street. At the fourth address, where they complained about barely warm batteries, the problem was solved, even though none of the owners were at home. Does the fact that citizens use the "direct line" of the regional executive committee as a more reliable alternative to service 115, given that requests are fulfilled much faster, indicate that utility services are working poorly and officials are turning a blind eye to it? The unambiguous answer is no! This means that ordinary people, no matter how much someone might want otherwise, TRUST THE AUTHORITIES.
This is precisely why a 73-year-old pensioner from Novopolotsk calls Alexander Subbotin. The woman saved money from her pension, bought 300 dollars at the bank, and when she needed to exchange her savings back into Belarusian rubles, she could not do it. The cashier, examining the bills, noticed traces of mold on them and advised her to go to another bank. After visiting several branches, where she was refused everywhere, citing some rules, the resident of Novopolotsk picked up the phone on Saturday morning and called the chairman of the regional executive committee, timidly noting at the beginning of the conversation that this was probably not a question of his level.
– Galina Petrovna, don’t worry, we will help! You have a good leader and person as the chairman of the city executive committee in Novopolotsk. I will pass on your contact details, and after the "direct line" is over, they will call you back. If they cannot resolve it locally, we will definitely solve your issue at the regional level, – the head of the region summarized.
And there are quite a few people who were called back after 12 o'clock to help and to understand the problem in more detail. Some will be advised on how to correctly draft a request for a recalculation of arrears, some will be helped to find a way to bring water into the house when neighbors do not give permission to dig on their plot.
A commission will go to the site to decide what to do with the burnt shed. Previously, residents stored firewood there, and then, when heating was connected to the house, the building was partially no longer needed. The vacant premises, by the way, became the source of the disaster: someone clearly handled fire carelessly in them.
– Housing and communal services problems are at the top. Regardless of the region of our oblast, the main issues remain sewerage, water, and heating. There have been fewer appeals regarding interpersonal conflicts and dacha cooperatives. But nevertheless, it is alarming that the housing and communal services sector retains the palm. This is a clear marker that the industry is one of the problematic ones. And how to solve these issues is our common task. We will improve this particular sphere, – Alexander Subbotin summed up, talking to journalists.
The clock shows 12:00, the "direct line" has ended. The phone was silent for the last ten minutes. This time the governor and his team were immersed in another issue.
Yesterday, a fire broke out in the "Belarus" shopping center in Vitebsk. The entire country followed the developments at the scene online. In short, rescuers worked from the moment the emergency was reported until late in the evening. Visitors and employees were quickly evacuated, the fire was first localized and then extinguished. Medics provided assistance to the victims. Two people remain in serious condition. Doctors are doing everything possible to stabilize the patients' condition as quickly as possible and return them home to their families. Now, specialists are determining the cause of the incident.
Meanwhile, it is time to think about the people who worked in the shopping center. How can tenants be helped, how can those who lost their jobs in an instant due to the disaster be employed. And what will be the fate of the building itself. All this, in the bureaucratic language so disliked by us ordinary citizens, is "under control" of the authorities. The authorities to whom people entrust their problems and misfortunes, whether it's a pothole near their home or the consequences of a fire in a large shopping center, where, fortunately, there were no human casualties.