Chisinau Council considers heating bill relief for the needy

The Chisinau City Council (CMC) approved in a first stage the draft regulation on the provision of nominal benefits for heat and hot water supply. The beneficiaries will be pensioners, the unemployed and families on low income, Info-Prim Neo reports. The recipients will first have to submit applications requesting the benefits from the municipal Social Assistance Department, which must contain information on the gross income of the family, the number of its members, and other details. A number of certificates, like the unemployment certificate, must be appended. The benefits will cover 40 percent of the bill issued for 18sq.m. of heated area; the rest shall be paid in full amount. According to Mayor Dorin Chirtoaca, the regulation will apply to a large number of residents, especially since the notion of low income is subject to monthly adjustment; so, the number of those who may request heating compensations can vary each month. “This will serve as an indicator of who's really poor”, the mayor said. He added that the municipality's financial contribution will be in this case half the amount allocated last year, when all Chisinau's residents benefited from heating bill relief during the cold season. As the clock in the City Council's sitting hall showed 14:30, debates on the regulation were ongoing. One giga-calorie of heat in Chisinau costs 540 lei. Households pay 233 lei, while the rest is being paid by the municipality.