Representatives of the Public Coalition "Lutsk European" spoke out against the one-sided coverage of "vandalism" by the Lutsk City Executive Committee, which could be observed for several days on Teatralnyi Maidan at the exhibition "Stop, Vandal!" According to the coalition's representatives, unilateral accusations of the territorial community of destroying communal property are incompatible with morality and are regarded by them as cynicism on the part of Lutsk authorities. This was discussed on July 19 at the "Lutsk European" press conference entitled "Cynicism Against Vandalism."
According to Dmytro Moskvych, head of the Public Coalition "Lutsk European" and the faction of the same name in the Lutsk City Council, "the only way to repair roads, leaking roofs, and entrances is through the authorities' brush-off replies." According to him, with the exhibition "Stop, Vandal!" the Lutsk authorities are merely covering up their inaction.
As noted by Valerii Romaniuk, a member of the "Lutsk European" faction in the Lutsk City Council, "even in kindergarten they teach that the best method of education is one's own example." "How can you explain to residents of the Center why a fountain is being built for millions of hryvnias when a 'fountain' is pouring on their own heads." He then cited the example of one apartment on Lesia Ukrainka Street, where the roof has been leaking since 1998. Over all these years, the city authorities have never managed to carry out a major roof repair, as a result of which even the apartment one floor below is flooded. The moisture content of the plaster exceeds the maximum permissible level by nearly 30 times (!), and the air humidity in the apartment, even at the best of times, does not drop below 80 percent! The consequence of such living conditions over many years is a chronic decline in the immune health of the apartment's residents, frequent illnesses, and suspected tuberculosis.
As another example of irresponsibility, Valerii Romaniuk cited the uncontrolled trade in the Lesia Ukrainka Culture and Recreation Park. According to him (and in the Lutsk City Council he heads the standing deputy commission on trade issues), only 16 trading places are designated in the park. Now, especially on weekends and holidays, the park turns into a "second Warsaw market." Moreover, enterprising people trading in the park do not obtain permits from the Lutsk City Council, as a result of which the budget does not receive legitimate revenues.
Therefore, according to Valerii Romaniuk, the city authorities need to start with themselves and set a positive example.
Anton Sosnovskyi, head of the executive committee of the Public Coalition "Lutsk European," focused on the problem of children's playgrounds in the city. According to him, in the Old Town, whose voters' interests he represents, almost no children's playgrounds remain, and in their place parking lots for vehicles are being set up. And in response to his deputy inquiry, the Housing and Communal Services Department (UZhKH) of the Lutsk City Executive Committee reported that today Lutsk has "as many as 12 children's and sports playgrounds!"
But the height of cynicism of the city authorities was described by Mykola Kyrychuk, head of the trade union committee of ambulance workers in Lutsk. The premises housing the Lutsk ambulance station (28 Slovatskoho St.) is effectively semi-derelict. Part of it is rented out. Although, according to him, there is no benefit for the ambulance station. Repair and locksmith services for the tenants are done at the ambulance service's expense, while they themselves "don't have money to buy soap." And this is despite the fact that one of the tenants does locksmith work himself. In the courtyard and garages, "marshrutkas" are parked, which probably also belong to the tenants themselves.
According to Mr. Mykola, "now Mr. Koshel and Kravchuk" (head of the health care department and first deputy mayor) want to "relocate" the station's workers to another wing of the building, which is effectively derelict, and where daylight almost never reaches.
As Dmytro Moskvych reported, in response to his deputy request to the city authorities, a reply was received stating that in 2003-2004 the tenants were 4 business entities. However, neither the areas nor the rental cost calculations were provided. The most interesting thing in the reply is that the largest monthly rent in the city center is... 349 hryvnias! When the representative of the deputy corps asked the executive structure to provide copies of the lease agreements, he was again given another "brush-off," saying "the information is confidential and may not be disclosed without the tenant's consent"...
As for his deputy inquiry to the Volyn Prosecutor's Office regarding the misuse of 13 million hryvnias allocated for the repair and improvement of city roads, Dmytro Moskvych, unfortunately, has still not received a clear answer. However, he was officially informed that on 12.06.2003 the Control and Audit Department conducted an inspection of the UZhKH and found misuse of funds totaling 441,900 hryvnias. The money that should have gone to capital investments (i.e., the same road and roof repairs) was spent on purchasing material assets – furniture, air conditioners, carpets... The most interesting thing is that these material assets were allegedly purchased for the Lutsk City Council, and in the premises of the Lutsk City Executive Committee the city council occupies as many as 2 (two) offices, or three if you count Mr. Kravchuk's office, who is also the first deputy mayor. "I haven't seen any of these material assets anywhere there," says Dmytro Moskvych.
On 13.04.2004, based on this fact, the Prosecutor's Office opened a criminal case against UZhKH officials for the misuse of funds on an especially large scale. Currently, this case is still at the stage of pre-trial investigation.
Also, the head of the Public Coalition "Lutsk European," Dmytro Moskvych, stated that negotiations have already been held with factions and deputies of the Lutsk City Council, and at the next session "the vote on the dismissal of the head of the UZhKH and the people responsible for this in the executive structure of power will pass positively."
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An unusual exhibition – of vandalism and mismanagement – has opened in Lutsk