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Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov on Friday skipped a State Duma session
where he was supposed to report on government measures to fix heating in the
regions.
Angry lawmakers refused to recognize the minister sent in his stead --
Deputy Prime Minister Viktor Khristenko -- as well as Gosstroi head Nikolai
Koshman and Unified Energy System CEO Anatoly Chubais. They abruptly
canceled the one-hour session set aside to discuss the cold and housing
infrastructure.
Barred from speaking on the Duma floor, Khristenko presented his
prepared remarks to journalists outside the chamber.
He said this year's heating problems were not caused by fuel shortages
as in previous years. He attributed one-third of the heating breakdowns to
deteriorating infrastructure, 12 percent to accidents and the rest to
incompetence on the part of local officials and engineers.
He said the federal government was giving technical and financial
assistance to all regions hit by this winter's unusually harsh weather. The
government has also drawn up amendments to a law on housing policy to
allocate 20.5 billion rubles ($644 million) toward resolving housing
problems.
Khristenko, Koshman and Chubais blamed "irresponsible" local officials
for heating shortages and the housing infrastructure breakdowns.
"Everyone should be accountable for his own deeds," Chubais said.
He added that he thought UES was handling the situation well.
"We are satisfied with how the big energy industry came through the
period of low temperatures," he said.
UES produces about 30 percent of the country's heating, while
municipal authorities must arrange for the rest.
Koshman told reporters that 75 emergencies have been registered since
the heat was turned on this winter and that 38 regions have suffered large
housing infrastructure breakdowns this month.
He said the most critical situations are in the regions of
Arkhangelsk, Novgorod, Sakhalin, Koryakia and Karelia.
Yabloko Deputy Sergei Mitrokhin chided his fellow lawmakers for
canceling the government's hour, saying it was "a shameful mistake."
"Someone wanted very much to help the government avoid responsibility
and dump blame on local officials who are not able to resolve the heating
problem due to lack of funds," he said.
A Russia's Regions deputy moved to cancel the government's allotted
time shortly after the 2 p.m. session got under way. Unexpectedly, a
majority voted to support the motion, including members of the pro-Kremlin
Unity party.
Lawmakers demanded that Kasyanov himself answer for this winter's
heating shortages and refused to listen to Khristenko, who had been sent
because he oversees energy issues and winter preparations in the government,
and Chubais and Koshman, who had come at the Duma's request.
Duma Deputy Speaker Lyubov Sliska said she had spoken by telephone to
Kasyanov, who told her that due to his busy schedule he would not be able to
come to the Duma until Feb. 12, news agencies reported.
See also:
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