Investigative Committee head demands report on Engels heating outage
Despite inspections showing compliant boiler house temperatures, residents in Engels still face cold apartments and lack of hot water.
Head of the Russian Investigative Committee Alexander Bastrykin has demanded a report on a negligence case, due to which residents of house No. 43 on Sovetskaya Street in Engels have been living without heat since January 13. This was reported by the agency«s press service. Also affected by the emergency shutdown are houses on Volgogradsky Lane, 1, Stepnaya, 35A, 37 and 39, Zeleny Lane, 20, and others.
A few days ago, residents of these houses recorded a video for Bastrykin. They claim that with the onset of frosts, the temperature in their apartments has dropped to 13-15 degrees Celsius (55-59°F), whether during outages or not. Engels residents report problems to the Engels administration, but officials in response report that the emergency situation has been eliminated, and the supply of heating and hot water is being provided in full.
«The boiler house entered the heating season already in a non-working state. But it received a readiness certificate. How was that possible? From the very beginning of the heating season, it was clear that the boiler house was not functional. The radiators are barely warm, the hot water is much colder than it should be. But while it was tolerable outside, people were outraged, but not as much. The management company regularly sent heating parameters for the building. All are significantly below the norm. People are tired of being outraged,» said Ekaterina Goncharova, a resident of house 37 on Stepnaya Street, to a 164.RU correspondent.
Engels residents say that their houses are serviced by LLC «Teploresurs» and they are billed in full for heating and hot water. At the same time, citizens continue to freeze and do not believe that the situation will improve. Residents are trying to heat their apartments with heaters and by turning on ovens.
After numerous complaints about the low temperature of the heat carrier, a raid was conducted by officials with the participation of representatives from the prosecutor«s office, the housing and utilities committee, the fuel and energy complex, transport and communications of the district administration, as well as the housing stock management and municipal housing control. At the boiler house of LLC »Teploresurs« on Lenina Street, 109, the output temperature indicators were checked. According to the measurements, they were above 70 degrees Celsius (158°F). According to the head of the boiler house, currently the temperature meets all norms.
«There will be no normal heating this winter—the boiler house cannot handle the load. Officials are trying to hush up this story and drag it out until spring. I am okay with normal heating and hot water. But since that»s impossible, why are we paying in full?« said Goncharova. »Why can«t they be honest: »It just happened, endure it, find a way out of the situation. We will recalculate the amounts and further payment for heating will be minimal.«»
Residents of the cold houses have sent a collective letter to the presidential administration. Saratov investigators, in turn, have initiated a negligence case. Alexander Bastrykin is awaiting a report on its preliminary results from the head of the regional investigative department of the Investigative Committee, Dmitry Kostin.
