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Snow-clearing companies in Bulgaria fined and dismissed

Sofia cleaning companies will be finned because of the unsuccessful snow clearing.

The concessionaires for clearing the snow in Sofia would receive 10 per cent less money than specified in the contract, Sofia municipality said.

Sofia mayor Boiko Borissov personally ordered the reduction, investor.bg said.

Sofia municipality owes a total of 318 000 leva to the three companies, which hold the concession for cleaning Sofia. The three companies have been property of the Equest investment fund since 2007.

Director of the three companies Anton Rizov was fired for providing wrong information to Borissov.

Equest demanded a 20 per cent increase in the prices for cleaning the city, mediapool.bg said. According to Dnevnik daily, the increase demanded was 22 per cent.

On December 18 2007, the three concessionaires, owned by the fund, deposed at the municipality administration demands an additional contract to be signed, which would include the increased prices. The fund said the increase was necessary because of increases of the minimum monthly salary by 83 per cent over the past three years, the inflation and fuel price increases.

According to local media, Equest was considering a price increase between 20 and 33 per cent. The Sofia municipality draft budget for 2008 envisions an increase of cleaning prices of 3.6 per cent.

The financial commission of the Sofia municipal council discussed the demands on January 8 2008, a few days after a snow-cleaning controversy erupted. On January 2, the companies failed to clean the heavy snowfall in Sofia. Borissov then threatened to sue the concessionaires.

The smaller streets in the city were still snowy and icy because the municipality did not have the money to clean those streets, mediapool.bg said.

If Equest’s demand was approved, Sofia municipality would have to pay an additional 10 million leva annually for cleaning. Currently the municipality pays 50 million leva per year, Dnevnik said.

According to Dnevnik, on the evening of January 7, Equest managing partner Georgi Krumov told Darik Radio that the demands were not a question of present interest anymore, the companies were giving up their demands and were looking for a ‘global solution’ of the problem.

The snow-clearing problem on January 2 will lead to several cleaning concession contracts being cancelled in other towns. Head of National Road Infrastructure Fund Vesselin Georgiev said that the contract with the Stara Zagora based company Trace for cleaning the Trakiya highway near the Petoluchkata area would be cancelled. Hundreds of vehicles were stranded in the area overnight because the company had failed to clear the highway.

Rousse mayor Bozhidar Iotov said that the municipality had reasons to cancel its contract with one of the snow-clearing companies in the town. Five days after the heavy snowfall on January 2 the traffic in Rousse was still difficult, because the company had contracts for the use of the same pieces of equipment in several municipalities.

Varna mayor Kirim Iordanov decided to cancel the contracts with snow-clearing companies which had contracts with other municipalities.

Stara Zagora municipality will ask citizens whether they are satisfied with the snow-clearing services, before re-signing the contracts with the companies.

January 9 2008, photo by: Asen Tonev, source: www.sofiaecho.com

<< nextprev >>

  Snow paralyses transport in Bulgaria..

  EasyJet launches daily flights between Sofia and London..

  Bulgarian taxi branch wants to clean up its own act..

  Wizz Air introduces low cost domestic flights..

  New cargo storage for Bulgaria’s Varna airport..

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Monday, October 13 2008

Expat of the Week

redryler

Grew up in Ireland. Wnet to college in London. This was an eye-opener to the world. Have worked for ... read more

What`s on in Bulgaria

Theatre

  • 12 Angry Monologues/12 razgneveni monologa
    What: The play is a compilation of 12 of the best monologues from Bulgarian actor Velko Kunev on the National Theatre stage over the past 30 years. Alone on the stage, Kunev re-experiences the fates, thoughts, worries and fears of his characters - including Ham
    When: October 7 and 25, 7pm
    Where: Ivan Vazov National Theatre
  • Volpone
    What: This comedy, written by English Renaissance playwright Ben Jonson, tells the story of Venetian nobleman Volpone who pretends he’s at death’s door to lure the numerous aspirants to his large inheritance and thereby expose their greed and foolishness. Starr
    When: October 10, 22 and 28 at 7pm
    Where: Ivan Vazov National Theatre
  • The Taming of the Shrew/Oukrotyavane na opurnichavata
    What: Director Marious Kourkinski returns to the stage of the Satirical Theatre with this Shakespearean comedy, which was one of the master’s earlier plays. The original play depicts a nobleman, Petruccio, who, for pragmatic reasons, marries a shrew – a loud-mo
    When: October 10 at 7pm
    Where: Aleko Konstantinov Satirical Theatre

Cultural Institutes

  • Pavel Besta and his inspirations
    What: This exhibition by Czech artist Pavel Besta coincides with his 50th birthday. His paintings are in the realm of the grey and sorrowful. Besta discusses universal questions touching on the beating hearts and disillusioned faces who dwell in the country’s o
    When: Until October 31
    Where: the Czech cultural centre, 100 G. S. Rakovski Str, Sofia

Art

  • Painters from Plovdiv exhibit in Sofia
    What: Natally gallery is organising a general exhibition featuring artists who have depicted Plovdiv’s gentle pace of life in their works. Visitors can admire the delicately smiling characters looking over from Angel Vassilev’s paintings, or the colourful abstr
    When: Until October 30
    Where: Natally, 38A Gourko Str, Sofia
  • The return of Dimitar Voinov
    What: Racoursi gallery presents Bulgarian painter Dimitar Voinov, who has lived and worked in Germany since 1986. Now, 22 years later, he is exhibiting in Bulgaria for the first time. His paintings reveal the use of classic techniques, combined with ambiguous s
    When: Until October 31
    Where: Racoursi, 4A Han Kroum Str, Sofia
  • Eva Peneva and Yulian Yordanov’s graphics for four hands
    What: This collaboration between two artists is a long-nurtured idea that finally comes to life. Yordanov presents 13 of his graphics including titles like Leda, Fragrance or Temptation. To find an adequate answer to his challenge, Peneva painted glass using va
    When: Until October 20
    Where: Teo, 34 Macedonia Str, Varna
  • Soshana: Around the world in 80 years
    What: Austrian painter Susanne Schuller-Soshana is a true cosmopolitan. As one art critic puts it, she has travelled the world not in 80 days, but in 80 years. During her nomadic life, she has met some of the defining titans of the last century’s art scene – in
    When: Until October 16
    Where: Astri, 34 Tsar Samouil Str, Sofia
  • The apple in the minds of several artists
    What: Though it has a small exhibition area, this gallery always offers carefully selected artists the chance to flaunt their talents. In this general exhibition nine artists have come together to explore the ‘apple theme.’ Works by Boiko Kolev, Rossen Rashev,
    When: Until October 20
    Where: Art Gallery Paris, 8 Paris Str, Sofia
  • LIKE MOTHER, LIKE DAUGHTER – ANI KARALAMBEVA AND NIYA ABRASHEVA
    What: Drawing on her experience and expertise as a long-time textile designer, Ani Karalambeva collaborates with her daughter Niya Abrasheva to create beauty in the ever-saturated world of fashion and interior design. The exhibition presents mixed media wall pa
    When: Until October 8
    Where: Azza Gallery of Modern Art, 25 Cherni Vruh Blvd, Sofia