The State Duma immediately adopted in the second and third readings a law on the supply and drainage of water using state reclamation systems (HMS) and hydraulic structures (HTS) on a contractual basis, the Pole.RF portal reports.
Appropriate changes that will eliminate the problem of non-payment of bills by water consumers are proposed to be introduced into the federal law "On Land Reclamation" and the Water Code of the Russian Federation.
Water supply and drainage services will be provided to agricultural producers, other legal entities and individuals on a contractual basis, as well as on the basis of the principles of equal access to such systems and facilities, payment and economic feasibility of the cost of services.
The Russian Ministry of Agriculture controls 77 land reclamation institutions in 74 regions. As of January 1, 2020, 31,1 thousand hydraulic structures were assigned to institutions on the right of operational management.
Now the supply and removal of water through the main and inter-farm canals is carried out at the expense of the state, and the supply of water on a contractual basis is possible only if there is a risk of disruption of agricultural work and a threat to the harvest. At the same time, according to the law, state institutions do not have the right to conclude contracts for the provision of relevant services.
“Because of this contradiction, some customers entered into contracts with state institutions for the supply of water, received it, and then refused to pay and went to court. Now the government proposes to eliminate this gap and allow state budgetary institutions to conclude agreements on a contractual basis, ”Parliamentskaya Gazeta noted earlier.
The cost of services for the supply and removal of water using public infrastructure, as well as accounting for water consumption, will be determined according to the rules approved by the Ministry of Agriculture.
The document will enter into force on September 1, 2023.