KOSICE, May 5, (WEBNOVINY) — On Thursday, residents of the infamous Roma settlement in Kosice district of Lunik IX protested high prices of housing, electricity, low social security benefits, and lack of job opportunities. Several dozen people gathered in front of the local authority in Lunik IX. First, they booed chairman of the Slovak Roma Parliament party Ladislav Fizik, and then they criticized the City Council as well as the state for “not caring and so they cannot live decently”.
The protesters pointed out that the social security contributions that they receive from the state are enough to cover basic needs, but nothing more. They said they would like to earn some money, but no one wants to give them work. They also clams that if they work, they will earn less than they get in social security contributions and child support.
Lunik IX Mayor Dionyz Slepcik discussed the situation in the residential district with local council deputies. “We protest against discrimination of the Roma by the city in connection with the adopted budget. We are a small district, with population of 6,000. While other districts got 120 euro per inhabitant from income tax revenues, our district has only 33 euro per citizen,” Slepcik stated. They will demand higher allocation from the tax revenues.
He further stated that the City Council has not paid wages to employees of the local authority for two months. They do not know how they will carry out the census later this month, as they used the allocated sources to pay electricity bills. Slepcik added that they would submit their requirements to the City Council on Thursday or Friday.
As Deputy Kosice Mayor Renata Lenartova stated, laws are beginning to apply to Lunik IX, too. She went on to say that the town is starting to apply principles thoroughly. “First of all, we are putting apartments in Lunik IX in order,” she said adding that they want to achieve a state in which only residents who pay all costs related to residing in the district will live there. The city plans to change the system of electricity delivery. The current residents have damaged electricity equipment and wiring to an extent endangering lives. According to Lenartova, Lunik gets a budget allocation of 34.70 per citizen, while the other Kosice district get only 22.60 per capita. “Lunik IX Council does not carry out any extra works that would entitle it to get extra financial means,” she said. In response to the journalists’ question she said that the city is not yet considering merging the district to another one and dissolving the local council.
SITA