Zverevo residents dissatisfied with tariffs decide to hold protest in Rostov-on Don

Residents of the city of Zverevo, Rostov Region, have decided to hold a rally in Rostov-on-Don, where they want to demand from regional officials to review public utility tariffs. However, the city administration claims that the increase in utility bills has nothing to do with tariff growth.

As previously reported by the "Caucasian Knot", starting August 4, residents of Zverevo are holding everyday pickets with a demand to revise utility tariffs. According to their story, since 2002 the tariffs have quadrupled, despite the fact that the local boiler began to work on cheaper fuel than coal.

During another picket, which took place on August 18, Zverevo residents expressed their readiness to hold a rally in Rostov-on-Don at the building of regional administration. "I came to this picket to defend my right to life. Because of the sharp increase in tariffs, my pension that I get now won't be enough to pay the bills; it's all despite the fact that I worked in the coal and non-ferrous metal industry for over 40 years," pensioner Alexei Azhogin, a picketer, told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

According to his story, tariffs grow on heating, water and other resources. "As a result, for my three-room flat I pay about 4000 roubles. So, I have to go and ask our officials for subsidy. Its amount is scanty; sometimes they give 200 roubles, sometimes 1000. Every time is different," complained the pensioner.

The city administration of Zverevo told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent that the increase of utility payments is in no way connected with increased tariffs. "The fact that in the period from 1997 to 2000, the level of citizens' payment for public utilities made 18.7 percent of the aggregate economically justified tariff. Until 2001, it made 30 percent. The rise in bills is caused, first of all, by increase of this share. It went up from 18.7 percent to 90, or even 100 percent within the last decade. Now the level of payment is 91 percent of the economically justified tariff," Tatiana Borisova, Deputy Mayor of the city of Zverevo for economy and city development, has commented on the situation.