Dwellers of villages in Vitsebsk region threaten to boycott elections

Five villages of the Chashniki district do not have a bus connection to the district centre.

Villagers cannot get to a hospital or a market. Dwellers of the villages of Bayary and Sialets wrote to the newspaper Narodnye Novosti Vitebska that buses do not run from Chashniki to Sialets in autumn and winter. This bus route, which ran two times on Friday and two times on Sunday, was the only variant for dwellers of Astashova, Bayary, Viazhouka, Sialets and Tarantava to get to the district centre.

Vitsebskoblavtotrans bus company confirmed that buses really didn't run on the route Chashniki—Sialets last week. The company's representative said that transport company No.9 in Chashniki explained it with low passenger traffic and advised to send a written request for further explanations.

Villagers say the buses ran randomly in summer and they had to call the bus station to learn if the bus would stop in the village. They say drivers often sold tickets under the counter, so officias could think that passenger traffic was low.

In accordance with the decision No.464 “On the list of state social standards for the population of the Vitsebsk region” released by the Vitsebsk regional executive committee on July 25, 2011, and the amendments to the document, buses should run at least four times a week in the villages with a population of from 20 to 50 people and at least 8 times a week in the villages with a population of over 80 people.

Villagers say they cannot visit the market to sell farm products to have another source of income in addition to their small pensions. Even more problems arouse when someone gets sick. People have to hitchhike to get to a hospital or call an ambulance.

People say sadly that if the state doesn't need them, they don't need the state either and don't rule out they will boycott the upcoming presidential elections.

Photo: bymedia.net