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Vremya Novostei, September 12, 2003

Monopolists Are Being Put on the Meter

By Ksenia Veretennikova

Yesterday the YABLOKO party disclosed to journalists the results of its action "Let's Put Monopolists on the Meter" which aimed to indicate toYABLOKO activists whether the utilities’ tariffs were fair. On YABLOKO's initiative tests with specially fixed meters were conducted in houses and flats in Ulyanovsk, Chelyabinsk, Tula, Samara, Balgoveschensk, Moscow and Moscow Region from June to August 2003. It transpired that real water consumption is on average 3.5 times less than that envisaged by the standard rates. "People are paying for the water which goes down the holes in the pipes and heating of the streets, as well as for the non-core expenditures of the housing and utilities services," said Deputy Head of the YABLOKO party Sergei Mitrokhin.

St. Petersburg, Cheboksari, Kirov and Murmansk and other regions have already joined the programme. "The money that is overpaid considerably undermines household budgets and the present system of the housing and utilities sector is based on unconstitutional deceit of citizens," said YABLOKO's leader Grigory Yavlinsky. YABLOKO is especially concerned by attempts to create the largest monopoly in the housing and utilities sector which will be based on RAO UES. According to Yavlinsky, to oppose this monster, Russian citizens should unite to protect their interests in a national civil control committee. In autumn YABLOKO will conduct a number of parliamentary hearings and will try to once again submit to the Duma its amendments to the housing and communal sector reform plan, which would facilitate demonopolisation of this sector and the attraction of small and medium-sized businesses.

The YABLOKO party has been paying for [water and heating] meters in the houses and flats from its own funds. It costs a lot to repair a meter – 5,000 roubles, as the monopolists also manufacture and repair the meters. According to Yavlinsky, meters should be fixed during the construction of houses and the residents should not pay for this service. He added: "I have never seen passengers take a taxi and bring along their own meter or shoppers in supermarkets bring their own scales and registers."

 

See also:

Housing and Utilities Reform

Vremya Novostei, September 12, 2003

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