Infrastructure Crisis in Kazanlak: State Delays Millions for Key Projects

The Municipality of Kazanlak is facing serious challenges related to the implementation of key infrastructure projects. Although some of them are already completed or are in an active phase of implementation, state institutions are late with the transfers of the necessary funds, warned the city's mayor, Galina Stoyanova.

According to the mayor, among the most critical cases are the project for the Industrial Zone bypass road and the bridge over the Stara Reka river. The first stage is completed, but the state still owes the municipality nearly 3.6 million BGN. To avoid a complete halt of activities, the second stage has been redirected toward financing through European programs.

A similar problem is observed on the road to the Koprinka reservoir, where unpaid amounts reach 4 million BGN. The same strategy—shifting to European funds—has been applied to the second stage of this road. The project for the western entrance of the city is also completed, but the funds for it have not arrived either.

The problems also affect other important directions, including the roads to the villages of Dunavtsi and Izvoovo, as well as the construction of a multifunctional sports hall. In the latter project activity, a legal conflict is also noted: the designers of the sports facility are already seeking their payment through legal channels, as the state has not paid the funds provided for the design.

Galina Stoyanova expressed serious concerns regarding the new changes in the mechanism for distributing funds under the Capital Program. She emphasized that the previous system, based on population size, provided predictability. However, the new changes in the state budget create a risk of subjective distribution of funds, making financing dependent on decisions by ministries and the Council of Ministers, placing municipalities in an unequal position.