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With New Minister, Cutoffs Continue

30 March, 00:00

By Mykhailo VASYLEVSKY, The Day On March 22, Rakovo district in Khmelnytsky was thrown back into the cavemen period: hospitals, residential houses and schools were left without light, water and heat for uncertain period. The local Oblenerho (Oblast Power Supplying Company), without any warning, disconnected this district, known in this oblast center as "cantonment", from the power grid. This stopped the work of boiler-houses, water towers, and other facilities. Since most houses are equipped with electric, rather than gas operated cookers, it was impossible to prepare even tea for children.

As became known, the apartment maintenance unit's debt for electric power is Hr 1,125,000. The AMU puts the blame on its debtors: the bills are not paid both by natural and legal persons. Those, in their turn, say that they do not receive wages and pensions. "It's the government getting to grips with the debtors so zealously. Because of harassed by guys from nuclear power plants, and by the miners as well," Valery Ivakha, Oblenerho's Chief Engineer explained to The Day. And Rakovo district, continued Ivakha, is the first but far not the last place cut off from power supply for debts".

Let us recall that last February Leonid Kuchma fired Power Engineering Minister Oleksiy Sheberstov, allegedly for de-energizing villages.

INCIDENTALLY

Last Tuesday, ten Melitopol machine building plants employing 22,000 workers came to a standstill. The enterprises are lacking the funds required to pay for 50% of electricity consumed according to the latest government's decision. This will entail an automatic suspension of allocations into the state budget and a further increase in arrears of wages and salaries. The Board of Melitopol Directors sent a telegram to the President and the Cabinet asking the government to suspend the decision and keep the payment procedure unchanged for a three month period, The Day's Viktor PUZHAICHEREDA reports.

Newspaper output №:

№12, (1999)

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