The proper standard of living for villagers in some agro-towns of Belarus has not yet been achieved - KGC

August 26, Minsk /BELTA/. The proper living standards for rural residents have not yet been achieved in some agro-towns of Belarus. This conclusion was reached by the Committee of State Control based on the results of an inspection in six districts of the Vitebsk region on the implementation of state minimum social standards for servicing the rural population. This was reported to a BELTA correspondent by the press service of the Committee of State Control. The inspection revealed that despite certain work on the implementation of social standards, their widespread and high-quality fulfillment is not ensured everywhere, as a result of which the proper living standards for rural residents have not yet been achieved. Year after year, in certain districts, the standards in the field of housing and communal services (regarding the schedule of hot water supply and maintenance, room temperature, and the presence of streets with improved pavement), as well as in the field of transport and communications, are not met. For example, in the Polotsk and Beshenkovichi districts, the water quality does not meet the standards. In the Polotsk district, 84% of water samples did not meet regulatory requirements for iron content, which is due to the absence of iron removal stations at water intake facilities. At the same time, four out of five iron removal stations built in 2005-2006 in the district have not been commissioned and are not functioning, and in the agro-town of Zhernoseki, an iron removal station built in 2007 has not been brought to normal operating mode. Many complaints from rural residents are caused by the lack of centralized water supply and sewerage systems in agro-towns. For example, in the settlement of Rudnya, Polotsk district, residents (87 people) of six apartment buildings draw water from public hydrants and wells and use outdoor toilets. The standard for the proportion of streets with improved pavement was not met in the Dubrovno, Senno, Polotsk, and Tolochin districts. A number of shortcomings were noted during the renovation of cultural and educational institutions. For instance, in many rural schools, old wooden windows are being replaced en masse with new PVC windows, but the ventilation system is not provided, resulting in new plastic windows becoming moldy due to dampness. Certain social standards do not meet the needs of the population. The average standard for pharmacy provision does not account for the real possibility of residents purchasing medicines. Due to the absence of an approved list of medicines for paramedic and obstetric points (FAPs), the assortment of medical drugs in them depends solely on the willingness of FAP employees. For example, at the Sinitsky FAP in the Beshenkovichi district, no medicines were sold at the time of inspection, even though the nearest pharmacy is 17 km away from the agro-town. Social standards in the field of consumer services are also not provided everywhere. In most districts of the Vitebsk region, comprehensive reception points operate as dispatch offices and sell funeral accessories. The sewing equipment purchased for comprehensive reception points (CRPs) is not used, and the hairdressing equipment is used partially. For example, in the Liozno district, in two agro-towns, sewing machines are not used in CRPs, and water is not connected for the use of hairdressing equipment, although there is a sink leaning against the wall, but there is no drain for water. A similar inspection was conducted in four districts of the Gomel region (Buda-Koshalevsky, Gomel, Mozyr, and Rogachev). The inspection materials indicate that in the region, agro-towns with unfinished construction objects were accepted annually. For example, in the agro-town of Gubichi, Buda-Koshalevsky district, the initially approved passport for construction (reconstruction, major repairs) of 21 objects was changed to 11 objects, i.e., practically to the completed volumes according to the acceptance certificate of the district executive committee commission. In four agro-towns of the Buda-Koshalevsky district, it was found that out of 64 planned infrastructure objects, only 29 were commissioned on time, seven were commissioned after the acceptance of the agro-towns, construction work has not been completed on 21 objects, and work has not even started on seven objects. In the Mozyr district, in three agro-towns, facts of acceptance of agro-towns with unfinished construction objects were also revealed, inefficient use of budget funds totaling Br200 million, and overestimation of the cost of completed construction and installation works by Br32 million. Similar facts related to the acceptance of agro-towns with unfinished construction objects have occurred in the Gomel and Rogachev districts. The materials of the conducted inspections with proposals for improving the situation have been sent to the relevant regional executive committees for consideration and response measures, the Committee of State Control stated.-0-