Gomel stands out among regional centers in Belarus for its know-how in working with appeals from the public. Local authorities use various approaches like: One Day with Housing and Community Services, Send a SMS-question 142 and receptions of citizens in the field.
When Gomel’s Zheleznodorozhny district administration head Vital Utkin was receiving members of the public in the field, Our House took the opportunity and approached him with a “social package”of four questions in various areas of the same neighborhood.
Part of Selmash neighborhood territories
(Area of Sukhoi-Yefremov- Heroyev Podpolshchikov streets)
The four problems are indicative for any neighbourhood in any city. There must always be at least one sidewalk immersed in darkness near your residential blocks. Besides, access ramps for people with disabilities are yet to be mounted near the entrances to social security buildings. Nobody can be surprised by pedestrian paths without asphalt through open spaces without a single tree.
1. No external lights along the pedestrian path
(Direction to Self-Propelled Combine Harvester Plant)
2. No access ramp for people with disabilities using wheelchairs
(Stairs in front of the entrance to Postal Office No35)
3. Some trees have dried out, but no new trees were planted to replace them
(The hill along the traffic road in Yefremov Street)
4. Builders forgot to lay asphalt on a pedestrian path
(Pedestrian crossing across the railway line toward Sovietskaya Street)
The administration head ordered the top managers of Selmash housing and community services to address each of the four aforementioned problems. Putting street lamps along the passage to the public transport stop and tree planting will not require significant costs and time. Putting an access ramp and asphalt on the pedestrian path may take more time and last till the end of 2015.
(TO BE CONTINUED)
Andrei Aksyonov, Our House
nd.gomel@gmail.com
Photo by Andrei Aksyonov
