Zverevo residents picket Rostov-on-Don administration building

Residents of the city of Zverevo of the Rostov Region again started daily picket in Rostov-on-Don. Pensioners and former miners demand to respond to the audit of the Housing conducted in the city concerning the revision of utility rates, regulations, and preferences for heating. However, the Regional Ministry of Housing states that this information will be ready by the end of the week.

"I came here to claim preferences for miners to pay for energy, which have been confirmed by the courts of all levels and which have never been cancelled. However, our regional authorities do not want to carry them out," the ex-miner Boris Djamalov said.

"During 14 years I have been striving for the preference: we organized pickets at highway, at the railway, we went on a hunger strike and organized many pickets in Rostov. However, no one listens to us. We filed about 400 complaints to the Strasbourg Court, and now we wait for its decision. Why this problem cannot be solved in our country?" said the ex-miner and added that he came to this rally to claim excessive rates on utility services.

According to the ex-miner, the authorities do not want to listen to these arguments. "We met Sergey Sidash, Regional Minister of Housing, representatives of utilities organizations also attended the meeting. We have realized that all they need is profit which is just super excessive now. They pay no attention to the fact that people have pensions of 5000-7000 roubles," Boris Djamalov believes.

Officials from the Zverevo administration told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent that "such picketing was demagoguery." And the response to the audit of the Housing should be sought at the Regional Ministry of Housing.

"Such pickets have been already held, and the authorities responded to all questions. Perhaps, the authorities responded not in the way, as the picketers demanded. For example, they demand that the regional committee should come and inform them about the results of the audit of the Housing. It is their right. If a person is interested to solve a problem, he or she should come and solve it, not just arranging a public reporting," said Igor Dolgolevich, the head of the Zverevo administration division on cooperation with the administrative organizations, in a telephone conversation.

Officials from the press service of the Regional Ministry of Housing told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent that the information on the lawfulness of rates and regulations of the city of Zverevo would be ready by the end of the week.

"To be honest, I had no time to discuss this issue with my chief. Please give me your contact information, I believe the situation will become clear by the end of the week, and we will call you back," said Olesya Chuiko, Press Secretary of the Ministry of Housing of the Rostov Region.

However, pensioners of the city of Zverevo are going to arrive to Rostov with posters daily, until they receive the answers.