The FINANCIAL — First Vice Prime Minister Andrii Kliuyev has said the situation with Ukrainian consumers' payments for natural gas supplies is critical.
First Vice Prime Minister Kliuyev gave his position on the matter at a conference call meeting with heads of the regional state administrations on the question of how consumers pay for natural gas and electricity.
He said the natural gas arrears complicates the situation with payments for gas imports to Ukraine.
"We must introduce appropriate order urgently. Ukraine is obliged to pay on time for imported fuel," he said.
He said the responsibility of leaders at all levels should be toughened. The control system should be improved too, he said.
First Vice Prime Minister Andrii Kliuyev called on heads of regional state administrations to consider the question of dismissing heads of municipal heating companies with largest gas debts.
According to Kliuyev, only one third of municipal heating companies have complied with the demand of the former Cabinet of Ministers to open special accounts for payments for natural gas supplies.
In this connection, First Vice Prime Minister Andrii Kliuyev gave heads of regional state administration time until March 30 to secure opening of such accounts.
As Ukrainian News earlier reported, the Naftohaz Ukrainy national oil and gas company intends to start fully settle payments for Russian imported natural gas from its own funds starting with the April imports.
On March 25, 2010, the National Electricity Regulation Commission canceled its resolution No.812 dated 9 July 2009 on raising by 20% the ceiling price of natural gas for municipal heating companies from 1 October 2009.
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