From the meeting of the Vitebsk Regional Prosecutor's Office Collegium: the consumer of utility services expects an improvement in their quality and compliance with the deadlines for work by the housing and communal services

The meeting of the Vitebsk Regional Prosecutor's Office Collegium, dedicated to the work of housing and communal services, was attended by the Deputy Prosecutor General of Belarus, Alexander Dubov. For Alexander Vasilyevich, a member of the working group for inspecting the activities of housing and communal services organizations, headed by the Chairman of the State Control Committee of Belarus, Alexander Jakobson, this topic is particularly relevant. The group faces the task of studying the problematic issues of the industry, analyzing how non-production assets affect housing and communal services, as well as the possibility of reducing costs in this sector. The group's attention will cover everything from waste removal to industrial waste processing, from the quality of services provided to the population to payment for them. Therefore, the issues raised by the prosecutors of Vitebsk region are at the "cutting edge" of the times, believes Alexander Dubov.

The housing and communal services sector is life-supportive, and any negative facts in its operation immediately become public and attract public attention. Judging by the number of appeals from citizens and legal entities, of which more than 10,000 are received per year, the work of housing and communal services is far from ideal. The main number of complaints concerns the quality and terms of capital repairs, roof and wall panel joint repairs, maintenance of the street and road network, water supply, heating, sanitary cleaning, garbage collection, and others. The largest number of appeals are traditionally registered in Vitebsk, Polotsk, Novopolotsk, and Orsha. In 2013, the number of appeals regarding privatization, valuation of residential premises, and the use of nominal checks "Housing" increased.

— A prosecutor's inspection revealed that housing and communal services organizations in the Vitebsk region did not fully fulfill the tasks of improving the efficiency and modernization of housing and communal services, and violations of the requirements of legislation on the procurement of goods (works, services) were allowed last year. Five corruption-related crimes were registered during the year: similar facts were allowed by the heads of Novopolotsk KUP ZhKH, Novopolotsk KUP "ZhREO", RSTs KUP "Orshakomkhoz".

The growth of accounts receivable of housing and communal services organizations in the region is of particular concern, — believes the main speaker, head of the department of the Vitebsk region prosecutor's office for supervision of legislation enforcement and legality of legal acts, Irina Yanukovich. — Overdue accounts receivable of economic entities in the region for utility services rendered in 2013 increased by 22.2 billion rubles (+46 percent) and amounted to 48.6 billion rubles. The largest increase was allowed by the subsidiaries of UKPP

«Vitebsk City Housing and Communal Services», KUP «Orshavodokanal», KUP «Vitebskobvodokanal», UKPP Housing and Communal Services of Polotsk District. Overdue accounts receivable from the population amounted to 4.2 billion rubles (6.7 percent of the total population debt). The main reason for the increase in overdue accounts receivable in Vitebsk is the presence of intra-system debt of housing and communal services organizations, which is due to the lack of own working capital. The main debtors

are agricultural enterprises of the region, whose overdue debt amounted to 20.7 billion rubles (42.6 percent - economic entities of the region).

The head of the housing and communal services department of the Vitebsk Regional Executive Committee, Yuri Dyadelo, who made a short report on the work of his industry at the meeting, asked the prosecutor's collegium for help in collecting it from the agrarians. According to Yuri Adamovich, the population's debt in Vitebsk region is the smallest among the regions of the republic. We have the highest rate of housing commissioning in the country after major repairs (215 thousand

«square meters») and the highest share of local types of fuel in the total volume of use. Despite this, the prosecutor's office raises the issue of insufficient profitability of housing and communal services organizations in the region, which is one of the main reasons for the industry's failure to meet the set parameters. Based on the results of last year's work, the economic indicators for reducing the specific consumption of electricity for water lifting and supply by enterprises were not met. The requirements of the State Program for the Collection (Procurement) and Processing of Secondary Raw Materials in the Republic of Belarus for 2009–2015 were not fully implemented. An analysis of the implementation of city and district programs for capital repairs and thermal modernization of the housing stock showed that the full scope of established requirements was not ensured by the housing and communal services organizations of the Verkhnedvinsk, Gorodok, Miory, Ushachi, Polotsk, and Tolochin districts.

— Housing and communal services organizations are obliged to ensure the proper maintenance of entrances and other auxiliary premises, and to prevent unauthorized access of citizens to basements and attics of residential buildings, structures, and facilities. In most districts, this requirement is ignored, — states Irina Yanukovich. — Practically everywhere, inspections have revealed violations of the Rules for the construction, reconstruction, operation, maintenance, and repair of streets in populated areas. A large number of open, unguarded manholes pose a potential danger. The timely removal of garbage is not always ensured in populated areas, and cases of accumulation of household waste occur. The issue of car parking lots, parking spaces, and their use is relevant. Year after year, violations of safety regulations are detected during the use of equipment on children's playgrounds in residential areas, public and school stadiums in the region. Recently, the issues of a large number of stray animals on the streets of populated areas and the improper keeping of pets by citizens have become pressing. It is alarming that enterprises of the housing and communal services system violate the requirements of the Law of the Republic of Belarus

"On Public Procurement of Goods (Works, Services)".

It is believed that one of the most powerful levers for the development of the industry is the elimination of the problems raised at the prosecutor's office collegium.

Svetlana Zalesskaya, "Vitbichi"