National politics has shifted the focus from municipal problems, and not only in Sofia. In my opinion, we will abruptly return to reality, because the problems have not been resolved. This was said by municipal councilor and chairman of VMRO Carlos Contrera in the program "Bulgaria, Europe and the World in Focus" on Radio FOCUS with host Tsonya Sabcheva.
The guest recalls that it is still unclear who, how and for how much money will clean the 6 metropolitan areas of "Ilinden", "Serdika", "Nadezhda", "Izgrev", "Poduyane" and "Slatina", and the procedure for the third zone ("Izgrev", "Poduyane" and "Slatina") was terminated.
"The Sofia Municipality is silent - we have a new deputy mayor for ecology, by the way, the former director of the Sofia Inspectorate, and no one comes out to say what he is doing. Because with these endless procedures, firstly, the city is getting dirtier, secondly, the nerves of the residents of Sofia are at the limit and we do not see any direction and sustainability. Things that are in front of everyone's eyes and we see them are brutally and fiercely denied by the administration as fact," the councilor emphasized.
Retreat from the municipal company "Sofekostroy"
"I notice one retreat - at the beginning, when the crisis began, somehow the Municipal Council and the mayor united around the thesis of strengthening the municipal cleaning company. Suddenly someone abruptly stepped on the brake, took their foot off the gas pedal, and I have the feeling that the Municipal Administration does not want us to expand the service with the municipal company "Sofekostroy", but for it to remain there and everything else to be handed out to external contractors, in slang - the cleaners.", Contrera points out.
An example of administrative chaos is the fourth zone (the "Serdika", "Nadezhda" and "Ilinden" districts), where after a series of appeals and downgradings, the cleaning situation remains unresolved.
The increased radiation in "Malinova Dolina"
As "extremely worrying" The news of measured radiation between 10 and 70 times above the norm in the "Malinova Dolina" district was determined. The problem is localized on the site of the former isotope storage facility, and the lack of an adequate response so far puts people's health at risk.
"The state must intervene very decisively here, including, if necessary, engaging units of the army specializing in chemical and radiological protection. Institutions should not underestimate the situation, as this problem has probably been smoldering for years under the noses of the control authorities," the guest urged.
Delayed repairs and budget requests
Contrera also commented on the infrastructure, where key projects such as "Stamboliyski" Blvd., "Maria Luiza" Blvd. and "Hristo Botev" Blvd. remain blocked or delayed for the third consecutive year. Regarding the budget, it was emphasized that the Municipality should request more funds to supplement transportation due to record fuel prices (1.80 euros per liter of diesel), which makes public transportation more attractive to Sofia residents.