The Sofia's government has no direction. It doesn't know what it wants and how to achieve it. This was stated by the municipal councilor from VMRO Carlos Contrera in the program “The Day Live” on NOVA NEWS.
He commented on the warning of the Sofia Municipality that there is a risk for public transport if the budget parameters are not reviewed and an additional 25.4 million euros are not provided. “It is no secret that public transport in Sofia has been underfunded for years, so to a certain extent the Sofia Municipality and Mayor Vasil Terziev have grounds to request more funds from the state in terms of compensation”, said Contrera.
According to him, some of the requested funds are completely justified, as they are related to the security of the metro. “These funds should be foreseen and paid by the state to the municipality every year. Many governments have changed, but this expense is never included as a basic item in the state budget. This is unacceptable both from the point of view of public finances and security”, he emphasized.
Contrera questioned the request for additional financing of transport activities. According to him, there is a contradiction in the actions of the administration. “The municipality wants another 23 million euros for the movement of the metro, buses, trolleybuses and trams. At the same time, there is a 121 million euro transitional balance - unspent funds from last year. It is logical for people to ask why the budget is not better organized and part of these funds are not directed to transport”, said the municipal councilor.
The municipal councilor also commented on the delayed repairs of key streets and boulevards in Sofia. According to him, this is the result of the work of the municipal administration. “Unfortunately, during this term, many important infrastructure projects have been delayed, and others will not start at all. The renovation of “Maria Luiza” Boulevard, for example, has been postponed by nearly two years,” he said.