After the scandal surrounding the unsanitary conditions in which residents of the house on Bauskas Street, affected by the gas explosion, were placed, the municipality will decide whether to continue using the services of the service hotel on Prusu Street. Complaints about it had been received earlier, TV3 News reports. How much money from the Riga budget is spent on accommodating people in these dilapidated premises and what does the mayor of the capital say?
In the infamous service hotel on Prusu Street, people from the house on Bauskas Street were accommodated. According to them, the living conditions there are unsanitary.
Cockroaches, dirt, cold – this is how the residents of the building affected by the gas explosion described the conditions on Prusu. Most left immediately, however, one resident of the house on Bauskas still remains there.
Dirty mattresses, mold – just some of the reasons that shocked the residents of Riga. Here’s what one of the guests, who was offered by the municipality to stay on Prusu with her family and small children, said on Tuesday.
“Thank God our friends gave us an apartment. Because we were given a hotel where the conditions are terrible – it’s impossible to live. (Question: What was there?) The mattresses look like someone has vomited or urinated on them,” said the resident of the house on Bauskas, Zumruda.
Similar reviews about the horrific conditions in the hostel on Prusu can also be found online – complaints about bedbugs and odors. Journalists wanted to film the building from the inside, but the duty officer asked to contact the owner, Lyudmila. She did not allow filming, even though the establishment has a contract with the Riga municipality for accommodating residents, which means that the citizens are paying for it.
– No, you can’t!
– Why can’t we?
– Because you can’t!
– But they are accommodating people here at the expense of the Riga City Council!
– So what?
– We are taxpayers of Riga…
– This is a private hotel, a hostel, no. Sorry, but no!
The mayor of Riga admits that the conditions in the hostel on Prusu, organized on the principle of a “dormitory” (blocks with shared facilities), are not suitable for families with small children – the toilet and shower are at opposite ends of the corridor, with a kitchen and rooms in between, many of which were previously vacant and unheated. However, in the case of Bauskas Street, action needed to be taken immediately – there were no other options for accommodating such a large number of people.
“The aid organizers called all the organizations with which there is a contract – they called the first hotel, there were no rooms because of New Year, they called the second, third – also none. In the end, Prusu Street turned out to be the only place where a larger number of people could be accommodated. Of course, at that moment, the staff did not go to inspect and assess the premises,” said the mayor of Riga, Viesturs Kleinbergs.
Families of Ukrainian refugees still live in this building, and they are satisfied with the conditions. The Riga City Council pays 14.50 euros per day for a single room on Prusu, and 35.75 euros for a four-person room. Payment is made for a specific number of days during which people urgently in need of housing stay there. The contract is concluded with the LLC “Limonda.” However, further cooperation is in question. Given the numerous complaints, the council will assess whether to continue using the services of this hostel.
“I instructed the executive director to evaluate this service provider, several inspections have been conducted, and the conclusion is this – in such crisis situations, it is necessary to reconsider what type of accommodation is needed for a person,” clarified Kleinbergs.
After the gas explosion that occurred last Friday on Bauskas Street, which resulted in the deaths of two people, more than 40 residents were evacuated from the building. Most of them are living with relatives, while the municipality is paying for temporary housing for some. As for the future of the building – whether it can be restored or is subject to demolition – it will become clear in about a month. The municipality has begun disbursing benefits and promises to continue providing various assistance to the victims.
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