The North Caucasus is planning to establish a common information and
payment center for gas, electricity, housing and utility bills. The
decision was made due to major debts to energy suppliers in the North
Caucasian Federal District. The Ministry of Economic Development says
that the debts in Chechnya, Ingushetia and Dagestan have exceeded 10
billion rubles, RIA Dagestan reports.
Chechnya is leading in the debt list, with over 4 billion rubles of
debts. Energy enterprises have the highest debts in Chechnya and
housing and utility organizations owe 646 million rubles. the
population owes some 30 million rubles.
The main debts in Ingushetia are among the population – 261 million
rubles. Energy companies and regional authorities managed to achieve
100% payments from the population last year. There is a 229 million
ruble debt for electricity. The Inter-Regional High-Voltage Grid
Company says that the problem is in poor management of municipal
property and undervalued prices. The republic owes 674 million rubles
for electricity.
Ingushetia owes 1.261 billion rubles for gas for the last 4 years.
Only 7,000 out of 54,000 consumers have no problems with payments.
15,000 have beneficial bills for electricity and services.
Approximately a year ago the staff of the Ingush gas service owed some
2 million rubles, which were claimed from their wages.
Shutting down gas supplies for non-payers is not a popular measure.
Such actions are often followed with major rows and threats. Ibragim
Imiyev, deputy director of Gazprom Mezhregiongaz Pyatigorsk in
Ingushetia, said that his staff have been attacked twice. The
authorities prefer to claim money through the courts.
Prices for gas rose from 2.44 rubles to 3.12 rubles per cubic meter.
0.22 rubles go towards the maintenance costs of the company and 0.37
rubles for gas transport. There are 1,500 deals with legal bodies.
They owe less than ordinary consumers.
The debts in Dagestan reached 1.771 billion rubles. The population
owes 180 million rubles, housing and utility services – 166 million
rubles, municipal energy distribution services owe the rest.
Consolidation of all electricity networks may solve the problem, head
of the department for work with media Gennady Vykhristyuk said. The
Makhachkala networks owe 1.125 billion rubles.
Inter-Regional High-Voltage Grid Company says that the prices are
undervalued by 40%. However, the republic’s price service says that
the prices are considered low only in comparison with other republics.
The prices for electricity in Dagestan are low indeed. The price in
Ingushetia is 2.34 rubles for 1 kW/h. The price in Dagestan is lower
by a ruble.
