Villagers of Iaşi county blackmail "Transgaz"

Doru Mocanu,Iaşi

Dragomir Tomaşeschi, prefect of the county of Iaşi, said that officials of the national natural gas transmission operator "Transgaz" SA claim that the company is being blackmailed by villagers of Iaşi county who own the plots of land that Transgaz has to cross as part of its works on expanding and modernizing the gas mains. "I met the regional representative of Transgaz, who told me that the company is working on a gas supply system on the Hârlău -Botoşani and Negreşti - Iaşi routes, intended to eliminate the gas pressure issues which occur in the winter time. Because of these works, they are expected to discuss compensation with private land owners, mayoralties and people of the Forestry Department. Transgaz is not purchasing land, but the works cause property damage and the company has to pay for the damaged crops. Company officials complained that some land owners are literally trying to blackmail the company into paying them huge amounts of money as compensation for the damages", Dragomir Tomaşeschi said.

He urged the citizens of Iaşi county to stop such practices, because these works will benefit everyone. "I have requested a list of all the issues. I have spoken to the prefect of Botoşani. I now urge the citizens of Iaşi: Transgaz wants to complete the works and has the funding needed to do so, but it needs citizen support. Moreover, any disruption of the works means the company has to send its workers home", Tomaşeschi said.

Transgaz SA currently has two ongoing works in the county of Iaşi, one with a gas main that connects the town of Hârlău to the county of Botoşani, while the second pipeline connects the city of Ia i to the town of Negreşti in the county of Vaslui.