Some of the residents of Luník IX, the infamous Košice suburb inhabited mostly by Roma, have been entirely cut off from energy supplies. The majority of inhabitants from the suburb's Hrebendova Street spent Tuesday, October 12, between the buildings debating the situation, but have since left their flats due to the cold, the Sme daily wrote on Wednesday, October 13.
The daily reported that inhabitants complained it was warmer outdoors than in their flats and said that last year children had died from hypothermia. "They want to exterminate us," they added.
Electricity distributor Východoslovenská distribučná said it had cut the electricity supply to Luník IX last Monday (October 4) in order to allow for repair of electrical installations and electricity transformers. However this process has since been prolonged. The company has resumed electricity supply to most of Luník XI, but Hrebendova Street remains without electricity. A company official said that 180 families in the suburb have a valid contract for electricity supply, while on Hrebendova Street only 47 inhabitants are customers. The electricity supply situation in Luník IX has already become part of the campaign leading up to municipal elections due in November, the SITA newswire wrote, with candidates Ladislav Šaňa (the current Luník mayor) and Marek Kažimír (currently the mayor of nearby Krásno) each proposing separate solutions for the issue.
Source: Sme, SITA
Compiled by Zuzana Vilikovská from press reports
The Slovak Spectator cannot vouch for the accuracy of the information presented in its Flash News postings.
13. Oct 2010 at 14:00
