12 May, Lida /BelTA/. Meetings with citizens on the ground allow authorities to see people's real problems. This was stated today in Lida to journalists by the Chairman of the Council of the Republic Anatoly Rubinov, who held a personal reception of citizens and answered questions from Lida residents via a direct telephone line, BelTA correspondent reports. Anatoly Rubinov emphasized that such meetings on the ground in no way substitute the work of local authorities. These meetings allow to directly learn what people are concerned about, what worries them, and, moreover, to find out how their issues are being resolved by local authorities. "The authorities should not be detached from the people; it is necessary to see the problems so that subsequent decisions are not made in offices," noted the Chairman of the Council of the Republic. Lida residents, according to him, are concerned about issues related to housing problems, many complaints were made about court decisions, as well as proposals for the development of new residential areas and the installation of traffic lights. All these problems are under the control of the local authorities. It is impossible to solve many of them overnight. "Sometimes a person simply needs to be heard, supported, and we are obliged to do this, among other things," emphasized Anatoly Rubinov. He also noted that about a thousand citizens' appeals are received by the Council of the Republic annually. "Every issue, every such appeal received by an official, must be accepted and necessarily followed through to completion," stressed the Chairman of the Council of the Republic.-0-

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