A. Lukashenko sharply criticizes Minsk City Executive Committee for bureaucracy in the implementation of investment projects
29/09/20110 views
On September 29, Minsk / Tatyana Polozhay - BELTA /. President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko has sharply criticised the Minsk City Executive Committee for bureaucracy in the implementation of investment projects. The head of state gave a negative assessment of the city authorities' work today at a meeting on the implementation of investment projects in the capital, a BELTA correspondent reports.
"To be frank, the pace and quality of implementation of most of the most significant investment projects do not satisfy me. The commissioning of a number of facilities within the planned deadlines is under threat of disruption," Alexander Lukashenko stressed.
"The bureaucracy you have fostered in the City Executive Committee - I am simply alarmed by this work. Do I have to listen to complaints from investors that something was not done on time, that the City Executive Committee did not allow it," the head of state said. "A mockery of people!" the President stated.
Alexander Lukashenko also reproached investors who, according to him, demand additional benefits, reduce capital investments, and as a result, delay construction deadlines. "Despite the fact that foreign developers have been provided with sites in the most prestigious areas of the city and a number of significant preferences, some of these foreign investors are in no hurry to fulfill their obligations," the President noted.
"But our city authorities, and other bodies and structures are also to blame. Bureaucracy, especially in the City Executive Committee, is flourishing," Alexander Lukashenko stressed. "Foreigners bring money, they build, and you keep them in the reception room for six months. You promise, but you don't deliver. Are you hinting and twisting people's arms in this way so that they give you a bribe?" the head of state addressed the Mayor of Minsk, Nikolai Ladutko.
"Moscow provides 40% of the Russian budget, billions of dollars - that's what a capital is for a country. And we have approvals, re-approvals, some kind of permits and mockery," the head of state added.
The President said that he had a desire "to lock up the City Executive Committee in the evening, and in the morning send everyone out onto the street and recruit a new staff for the City Executive Committee." "We have carefully looked at all floors of your work - the bureaucracy is terrible, you don't know how to talk to people, it comes down to mockery," Alexander Lukashenko noted.
Addressing the Chairman of the Minsk City Executive Committee, Nikolai Ladutko, the Head of State set a strict task to address all shortcomings in the executive committee's work. "Sort out your assistants, deputies. What is this negligent attitude towards people?! You say one thing on screen, but your deputies, heads, officials who work there, and there are more than a hundred of them, do the opposite! I cannot watch this calmly," the Head of State emphasized. "God forbid you do not explain yourselves to me regarding these projects and tell me that you are not to blame, and God forbid I hear even one more complaint in the future – you will have only yourselves to blame. There will be a new chairman of the city executive committee," the President added.
Alexander Lukashenko regretted that both the Head of the Presidential Administration and the Minister of Internal Affairs, responsible for the city, as well as the government, had "turned a blind eye" to everything. "Appointing a new chairman of the executive committee and sending the Head of Administration and the Minister of Internal Affairs there as the President's people, who were supposed to see what was happening, I hoped to get concrete results from this. But everything is the opposite," the President said.
"Red tape, procrastination. Right now, we need to embrace the investor, kiss them, lead them by the hand around Minsk so that they work. They bring currency here!" said the Head of State. According to Alexander Lukashenko, investors show great interest not only in the country but, above all, in Minsk. "So let's attract these people, let them invest funds in the country," he concluded. -0-
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