Repair of Parliament building put off till nobody knows when
The repair works in the Parliament Building, which was badly damaged and subjected to arson and plundering by young democracy defenders on April 7, 2009, have been suspended and put off for an uncertain time.
Ekaterina Grigorean of the Ministry of Regional Development and Construction stated to your Infotag correspondent that the Law on the 2011 State Budget contains no financial provision for the repair works.
"Had the State Budget had a provision of 130 million lei for the purpose, the works would be completed in 2011. At the present moment, the Parliament Building is 40% ready. Last year, the Budget allocation was 25 million lei, of which sum only 12 million lei were actually used because equipment supplying firms demanded pre-payment for their products", said the ministerial official.
The total cost of the Parliament repair and re-equipment constitutes 209 million lei [nearly US$20 million] as per the estimate carried out by the national Urbanproiect design-and-research institute and the State Service for Control over Designs and Buildings.
"Last winter, the works were completely suspended. And in 2010, companies concerned repaired water-supply and sewage systems, carried out electrical works and finishing works at building's Block G, where it is yet necessary to purchase windows and stained-glass windows.
The repair works began yet in May 2009 by order of the then Communist Government. The 2010 State Budget had an allocation of 25 million lei for yet another victim of the post-election pogroms - the Presidential Office, whose total repair cost is estimated at 220 million lei.
Parliament Chairman Marian Lupu hopes that the governing Alliance for European Integration will succeed in finding external sources to complete the works. However, Minister of Regional Development and Construction Marcel Raducan says he has heard nothing about whatever financial assistance, which Moldova is allegedly waiting for from Russia, China and the European Union.
Infotag's dossier: As Infotag has already reported, on April 6, 2009 the local youth came out to streets to express protest against the April 5 parliamentary election results, which had not been known by that time yet, but which the young people believed had been "heavily rigged, so the Communist Party had managed to grasp as many as 44.7% ballots". On the following day, April 7, the protesting developed into a massive riot in the center of Chisinau, during which the parliament building and the presidential office were severely stoned, damaged and plundered out - yet before the election result announcement.
Initially, the repair cost was assessed at 350 million lei, but upon a closer inspection the cost figure grew to nearly a billion. However, the Consfirm Grup and the Acar Cantarajiu, which won the repair tender, stated readiness to repair the objects for 500 million lei by the end of 2009.
Infotag
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