Photo: Ivan Atanasov
In addition to highways and landslides, the government spends European money on roads in remote areas of the country. Such an example is the border municipality of Ivaylovgrad, where a project “Reconstruction and rehabilitation of municipal roads on the territory of the Municipality of Ivaylovgrad” worth almost BGN 4.5 million (VAT exluded) has been implemented.
The activities of the whole project started in November 2012 and ended in July 2015 and the roads to several small villages in the area were repaired. According to the mayor of Ivaylovgrad, the implementation of the project provides an opportunity for the ambulance teams, the police, the fire and civil protection to arrive on time, and the trip in the area to become more pleasant.
One of the repaired roads is from Ivaylovgrad through the village of Drabishna to the border with Greece. In reality, however, it lasts only a kilometer after the village and
ends at the bank of the Armira River.
So instead to Greece, it leads to nowhere. However, there is an axis line on the asphalt, there is a roadside and everything else that is required for the construction of a modern road.
Locals say that it was supposed to be a checkpoint with Greece, and our southern neighbors had to build their part. But only 20 km away, near the neighboring village of Slaveevo, there is already a checkpoint built, which has been operating since 2010 – that is, 5 years before the repair of the road from the village of Drabishna to the southern border.
And something else. After being renovated in 2015,
the road begins to fall again,
cracks appear, some of which are up to 10 cm deep, the asphalt surface crumbles. Drivers say his condition is worse now than before the repairs.
Several questions asked by “Pro Veritas” under the Access to Public Information Act needed to clarify
why this time the road was rehabilitated,
once it gets nowhere.
The first question was: “What necessitated the repair of a road that has no continuation on the other side of the border?” The municipality of Ivaylovgrad answered the following:
The overall goal of the project “Reconstruction and rehabilitation of municipal roads in the municipality of Ivaylovgrad” is to improve the quality of life, to approve access to basic services for the population and
to stimulate the sustainable development of the municipality.
It is important to note also the fact that the funds are allocated from the rural development program, which largely determines the choice of area for funding.
The State Fund “Agriculture” (SFA) clarified that the approved project is identified as a priority in the development plan of the Municipality of Ivaylovgrad 2007 – 2013. Its full name is “Reconstruction and widening of road sections within the scope of “Intra-municipal road ring” with good road elements, allowing high-speed car traffic”.
However, both institutions do not provide an answer to the question
who needs a road that leads nowhere.
To another question – who is the contractor of the construction and installation works, the answer is that this is “Europat 2005” Ltd. The road warranty is 36 months and it expired in July 2018.
From this date on, the municipality of Ivaylovgrad must take care of the road to the bank of the Armira River. How this will happen, however, is not clear since in the reasons to the SFA for the repair of this section the municipality stated that “the main problems for the maintenance and development of the municipal road infrastructure are related to the lack of funds for repairs”
In reality, however, the municipality is already taking care of the road. At the beginning of the village of Drabishna around a beautiful villa has a well-repaired section of it, which cost the municipality BGN 60 thousand. An inspection of “Pro Veritasr the Truth” showed that
the villa is owned by the wife of the mayor of Ivaylovgrad Diana Ovcharova.
To the fourth question: How did the construction of this new infrastructure contribute to the development of the Ivaylovgrad region?” the answer was the following: “We believe that the amenities are not only a privilege of the residents of Ivaylovgrad, but also of all residents of the municipality,” they wrote in their answer.
From SFA they further clarified that in the application for funding from the Municipality of Ivaylovgrad they stated that “The implementation of the project will contribute to the real satisfaction of the needs of the identified groups.” Depreciated roads actually make it difficult for people to move to administrative centers, where most public services are concentrated – administrative, social, health, educational, and cultural.
According to the Municipality, the poor condition of these roads makes it difficult to access the neighboring municipalities, and ambulances, police, fire, civil protection arrived late, which in many cases is fatal.
None of the institutions to which questions were sent under the Access to Public Information Act provided an answer
why a road to nothing was built
and who will repair the newly repaired road, after the Municipality of Ivaylovgrad states that it is beyond their means.
It is only clear that serious repairs of the repair are now underway, but since the municipality has no money, the roads will again become impassable and traffic will be difficult. Despite the fact that more than BGN 4 million have already been spent.
