Complaints and grievances from the public in the housing and communal services sector indicate that both utility workers and representatives of all levels of government are not working effectively enough, therefore, this sphere needs to be improved, especially in rural areas. This opinion was shared with journalists at the session of the Vitebsk Regional Council of Deputies by its Chairman, Vladimir Terentyev.
The head of the regional parliamentary corps emphasized that the region's housing and communal complex requires a different, more modern approach to its development. "The development of housing and communal services is relevant not only in our region but also in the republic. Much is being done in this sphere in the Vitebsk region – both in improving the quality of drinking water, and in tariff policy, and in capital and current repairs of housing. But since complaints from the public continue to be received today, and there are a large number of them in the housing and communal services sector, it means that we are not working effectively enough yet. And we must make every effort, and this applies not only to utility workers but also to executive authorities, to report the issues that are not being resolved and need to be resolved. Today we criticize a lot, and probably rightly so. However, when we talk about the same 115 service, few people think that in Vitebsk alone, it receives from 500 messages per day. And during the period when heating is turned on and air pockets form, their number exceeds a thousand, and all these issues must be resolved. In conditions of staff shortages, the problem of training specialists and changing their salaries must also be addressed," noted Vladimir Terentyev.
The Chairman of the regional council of deputies also emphasized that the issue should be considered more broadly, covering road construction and repair, and landscaping. In general, the housing and communal services system in the Vitebsk region is well-established, but it needs to reach a higher level. "In large cities, the housing and communal services system is more or less established, but in rural areas, it needs further improvement. In preparation for today's session, we requested problematic issues from district councils of deputies and village councils, and we received 117 appeals – from private matters, such as relocating bus stops and repairing bridges, to more global ones. We have taken them under our control and will do our utmost to solve these problems," explained Vladimir Terentyev.
He also drew the attention of district leaders and relevant services to the importance of communicating with the public, informing them about capital and current repairs, and planned work that can be carried out within the financial framework provided by the budget. "People should know all this. And when they understand that work is ongoing, and the budget is not unlimited, something may change in the nature of their appeals," summarized the head of the region's deputy corps.
BELTA.