Minister Shishkov: As long as I am a regional minister, I will help Sofia, the purpose of the inspections is to improve the conditions in the city

"The purpose of the checks in Sofia is to help Sofia’s residents, not politicians. We will work together with the Metropolitan Municipality so that the renovations in the center can be completed, at the same time qualitatively and the capital receives its money." This was commented by the Minister of Regional Development and Public Works Arch. Ivan Shishkov in the studio of the show "On Focus" with Laura Krumova on Nova TV.

"By conducting an inspection and if it turns out that there is a problem, the Municipality of Sofia will have time to correct the mistakes and thus not lose the European funding," the minister emphasized. After the presenter's comment that Mayor Yordanka Fandakova will not run for a new mandate, Minister Shishkov recalled that it was in the Nova TV studio that he warned that it was important that these repairs be completed before the local elections so that they would not be left for the next mayor. If this happens, it can be compared to a bomb that will explode with terrible force.

"I have been to many inspections, this is not my first", said Shishkov and added that in this way he observes the processes himself and personally gets to know the problems in order to make quick and clear decisions.

In front of Nova TV, the regional minister also informed about the inspection of the second and third lots of the Trakia highway, carried out by the Ministry of Interior, during which it turned out that about 3 cm of the asphalt was missing.

"The inspection found that between twelve and seventeen percent of the ground base of the Trakia highway is missing, and the situation is worse on the third lot - larger segments are missing there," Shishkov said. According to him, according to the project, the asphalt should be 220 mm - the three layers of the pavement, but it turned out to be between 185 and 190 mm. Despite the fact that the two sections cost the taxpayers 133 million BGN each, now it is likely that both lots will again need to be overhauled.

The minister also specified that a third lot was inspected because of its apparently poor condition and to analyze what repairs are needed there.

In the interview, architect Shishkov also commented on the case study with the vignettes about the residents of Prolesha village, Bozhurishte municipality. According to him, both the frame and the cameras in this section have a building permit. He explained that he had already held several conversations with the chairman of the Committee on Regional Policy, Public Works and Local Self-Government in the National Assembly to make amendments to the Law on Roads so that no more than three fines are paid within a year.

In front of the audience, architect Shishkov expressed his concern that the deputies still do not want to consider the normative texts proposed by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications for the so-called "tolerance" of illegal sites. Because, according to him, there are 95 roads identified as illegal construction. "The only way out is to legalize and pay the builders who worked on the sites after inspection. So that the state can start in a legal order and move forward", Shishkov was categorical.