MINSK, 19 April (BelTA) – It is necessary to get rid of deep-rooted bureaucracy in the work of the Emergencies Ministry. Emergencies Minister Vadim Sinyavsky will be personally responsible for the result. Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko made the relevant statements during the government conference held on 19 April to discuss the enforcement of law and order, BelTA has learned.
The emergencies minister presented a report during the government conference. In his words, causes of fires in Belarus have remained the same for many years. 2021 saw people die due to careless handling of fire, including during smoking. The figure represents 82% of all those who died in fires.
Vadim Sinyavsky admitted that, unfortunately, this year the Emergencies Ministry failed to respond to good weather in March in time. It resulted in a massive increase (11.7 times up) in fires during the burning of dry grass: 105 fires happened and 18 people died as a result. “No doubt, measures are being taken. Taking into account the accumulated experience in preventive work we are taking measures to improve preventive practices. A draft government resolution has been worked out to organize the work of the entities in charge of preventing the administrative offences conducive to human deaths. So-called examination commissions are supposed to take care of prevention in rural areas. The draft resolution has been practically approved by everyone and is under consideration in the Council of Ministers,” the emergencies minister said.
Aleksandr Lukashenko said: “I see. Patriotic upbringing, fire awareness sites, and now commissions will deliver a blow to fires. Emptiness no one needs. What is there to approve? Make these decisions at the district level together with police or with the prosecutor and the KGB if necessary. Get things organized under the aegis of the district administration and act. What do you want the central government to approve? What does the central government have to do with it? It is hardcore red tape!”
Aleksandr Lukashenko stressed it is necessary to make smart managerial and organizational decisions in order to make yearly burning of dry grass safe for people: “People burn dry grass and they will continue doing that. But these things need organization. If only a prosecutor or the head of the district administration summoned heads of agricultural enterprises and told them to plough around the houses where people will burn grass. Or do it in an organized manner in one day. But now you intend to get some government resolution approved and the fires will stop?”
The president reminded he had appointed Vadim Sinyavsky because he had expected him to improve the ministry's performance. “I appointed you from the outside, someone who didn't belong to the Emergencies Ministry (but who understood these things, a knowledgeable, young, and promising general) for you to take a fresh look at shortcomings and, most importantly, suggest ways to address them, ways to move forward,” Aleksandr Lukashenko noted.
However, the results are poor for now – the number of fires and the resulting loss of life are growing higher. “We need results. It is your area of responsibility and you need to produce results in this area,” the head of state told the minister.
