Ilsur Metshin: “Residents will not understand if they would pay for the service, but we would not solve the problem”

Ilsur Metshin: “Residents will not understand if they would pay for the service, but we would not solve the problem”

<p> (KZN.RU, July 1, Ksenia Shvetsova). From July 1, the cost of communal services will increase in Kazan and other Russian cities. In the capital of Tatarstan, it is 2.8% and will amount to 77 rubles 78 kopecks per square meter. From the same period, the maintenance of ventilation and smoke removal systems was included in the composition of housing and communal services. Ilsur Metshin, the Mayor of Kazan, instructed to explain the necessity of introducing new services to citizens, as well as to monitor the work of management companies. He reminded that the service for the maintenance of ventilation and chimneys appeared after several cases of carbon monoxide poisoning. He marked that the introduction of the board will solve the problem and ensure the safety of citizens. </p> <p> Iskander Giniyatullin, the deputy head of the Executive Committee, reported on the change in tariffs. He noted that due to changes in legislation this year, tariffs change twice. Thus, on January 1, due to the increase in the VAT rate from 18% to 20%, the growth of bills from the new year was 1.7%. And from July 1, the cost of communal services for the population will increase by 2.8% to the amount of 77 rubles 78 kopecks per square meter. The total increase in bills for the population will be 4.5% and will not exceed the marginal index established by the Government of the RF for changing the amount of communal services’ bills paid by citizens. </p> <p> “The marginal growth index for communal services is set at 5.6%, and we have no more than 4.5%”, marked I. Ginniyatullin. </p> <p> From July 1, the rent and maintenance of residential premises were set at 112 rubles 59 kopecks with a 5.9% increase from the first half of the year. The calculation of the fee was made based on a full examination of tariffs for housing services. Also, consumer price increases, a change in the VAT rate from 18% to 20%, and an increase in the minimum wage to 11280 rubles were taken into account. </p> <p> “Once again, I want to remind Kazan citizens of their duty to set the size of payment for the maintenance of their houses”, said I. Ginniyatullin. “This is not the right of citizens, but an obligation. If citizens do not make the decision, then the tariffs are used approved by the Executive Committee for municipal housing. We have no more than 200 houses in the city where the residents made an independent decision on tariffs. And in 97.5% of the housing stock of the city, there is a tariff set by the Executive Committee. It is wrong since we take the average figure. And each house has its features, so citizens should make their own decisions”. </p> <p> The mandatory list of works necessary for the proper maintenance of an apartment building now includes maintenance of ventilation and smoke removal systems. Earlier their maintenance was not charged, and it was carried out at the expense of current repairs. However, due to the tightening of fire danger requirements, from July 1, the tariffs for the maintenance of ventilation and smoke removal systems are allocated in a separate line of 30 and 55 kopecks per square meter of living space per month, respectively. “The allocation of work on the maintenance of ventilation and chimneys in a separate article will allow the owners of the premises to control these works”, said I. Ginniyatullin. </p> <p> The need to pay for maintenance and servicing of ventilation and chimneys appeared after several cases of carbon monoxide poisoning, noted Ilsur Metshin, the Mayor of Kazan. The leading cause of poisoning is faulty room ventilation. </p> <p> “The reasons were clarified for each case. As a result, it became clear that the problem is systemic. It also needs to be addressed systemically”, said the Mayor. “But after the citizens start to pay, we must put the issue under control for these issues to be solved systemically. Residents will not understand us if there is a fee, but no solution”. The head of the city instructed his deputies and heads of districts to supervise the work of management companies, who will hire contractors to service chimneys and ventilations. “Conduct explanatory work with citizens: where, when, how much time would it take, and what work would be carried out”, ordered I. Metshin. “This work should be conducted in a mandatory dialogue with the residents. Their vigilance is one of those important factors that will allow us to solve this problem and avoid new emergencies”. </p> <p> Since January 1, the service of removal of municipal solid waste (MSW) is included in communal services. The amount of payment for the removal of MSW is calculated, taking into account the standards of waste accumulation established by the Ministry of Construction of the RT. Residents of apartment buildings – 2.36 cubic meters per person per year; residents of individual houses – 2.56 cubic meters per person per year, reported I. Ginniyatullin. The State Committee of the RT on tariffs for the supplier approved the tariff for the removal of 1 cubic meter of garbage for 365 rubles excluding VAT. </p> <p> The amount of payment for the removal of MSW for residents of apartment buildings is set at 71 rubles 95 kopecks per person per month; for individual houses – 78 rubles 5 kopecks per person per month. </p> <p> The State Committee for Tariffs of the RT sets the cost of communal service resource. It takes into account the amount of payment for the provision of communal services to the population, said the speaker. </p> <p> Overhaul housing programs implemented in the city with insulation of house facades, the introduction of energy-efficient equipment, improved thermal insulation of networks, the installation of energy-saving lamps, the replacement of electrical wiring, keep citizens' payment for housing and communal services the lowest among million-population cities of Russia, said I. Ginniyatullin. For example, Nizhny Novgorod, Perm, Ufa, Samara, Yekaterinburg, and others are among these cities. </p> <p> “The rational attitude of citizens to the consumption of communal service resources also has a direct impact on the size of the bills”, he added. “The common skills of saving light and water, the availability of individual devices, and the demands of citizens on the work of the managing organization can significantly reduce the expenditure of resources and funds to pay for them”. </p> <p> Citizens should control the quality of communal services. The service “Open Kazan” provides a great help in this, said I. Metshin. “This resource is a great assistant in the management of housing stock. With its help, we can assess the effectiveness of the management companies”, believes the Mayor. </p> <p> The head of the city also added that the housing and communal services sphere is constantly evolving and requires innovations. “Unfortunately, the changes in communal services never end. No material could repair the pipe forever. Improving housing and communal services is constant and systematic work”. </p>

2019-07-01T14:42:43+0300