site.btaPrime Minister Demands Full Report on Road Agency Spending
Caretaker Prime Minister Andrey Gurov said on Wednesday he expects a detailed report on an inspection at the Road Infrastructure Agency and clarity on how the funds for road repairs and maintenance have been spent. He broke the news at the start of the cabinet's weekly meeting.
Gurov asked how funds planned for four years had been spent in only one, given that the state of the road network remains poor and protests continue over potholes, ruts and worn-out road markings. The Prime Minister stressed that Bulgaria tops a negative EU ranking for road traffic fatalities per million population, and said that, in such circumstances, any siphoning off of money for road repairs amounts to "stealing lives".
Gurov added that there was also discontent among roadside assistance providers, who likewise reported a lack of genuine repair work. He noted that the caretaker government has inherited a large public procurement procedure for crash barriers worth about EUR 500 million, announced in the final hours before the change of government.
The Prime Minister also raised the issue of the authorities' preparedness after the end of the winter season – how the necessary repairs, maintenance and emergency response will be ensured when the funds have already been spent. Gurov urged the Interior Ministry, if it finds evidence of criminal offences, to carry out a swift, uncompromising and thorough investigation to establish what is going on at the agency.
/RD/
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