Политика

On Friday, 14 December, a large group of Roma announced in the municipality building that civil protests are starting and this Monday will block the road to Pazardzhik. Weeks and months of tension escalated because of the long delay of social benefits. People expect unpaid money from August, hoarding, watching sick children and adults and every other day they are either in the municipality or in Social Assistance in anticipation of money. On December 13, in the presence of police from "Electricity Distribution" have cut the electricity of debtors who have not paid the bills for 3 months. In the hamlets there are cases of tuberculosis, the sick hide because they have no money for treatment, and the contagion can flare up "thanks" to poor living conditions, lack of water and food.

The mayor of the municipality Tsvetan Dafov, who tried to explain the financial situation, came under the crossfire of questions and angry remarks. The Roma crowd, however, was too agitated, shouting "Resignation" and threatening civil disobedience. Some of the protesters have threatened to go with their hungry children to the home of social minister Lydia Shuleva over the weekend. In a more constructive spirit, the meeting took place in the late afternoon, to which the mayor invited some of the participants in the protest in the presence of journalists. Together with the Chief Accountant Hr. Savov and Radka Pavlova from Social Assistance, the mayor gave better information about the state of the welfare budget. The municipality has overfulfilled its commitment with 56,930 leva. With a series of letters to the finance and social ministry, she alerted that social tensions were growing because of unpaid benefits and insisted on funds from the state. Ms Pavlova gave an account of what the 118,152 levs raised on December 7 were spent on: with 90,759 levs were paid maternity and child allowances until October inclusive, with 27,393 levs - the money for disabled people who did not reach some of the villages. The tension created is not the result of unfinished work of the municipality, the mayor or the social workers, Ms Pavlova emphasized. The mayor added that it was not a result of unfinished business of the government - just such are the realities in the state, as of 31 October 64% of overdue payments were brought to municipalities. By the end of the year, the municipality had given assurances that the money would be paid to Art. 9, which people have been waiting for since August. This will be done with the sum of 74 121 leva, which is waiting, but it is not known on what date it will arrive. A phased payment of maternity leave for November will also begin. There is a full willingness to pay the energy aid on the day when the money is brought out of the state budget. The commitments put out the passions, and the mayor said he could not give the requested permission to block the road, as civil disobedience occurs when all the reserves for dialogue are exhausted. Fragile social peace has been preserved for the time being, but it is indeed fragile - socially weak people left without any means are on the verge of patience. Elena Baeva