In next year’s budget, the government will provide five billion forints for the refurbishment of roads in Budapest, the Minister heading the Prime Minister’s Office announced on Tuesday in Budapest.

At the press conference, Gergely Gulyás said Parliament approved the provision of funds as part of the motions of amendment to next year’s budget.

The cabinet has allocated funds in a similar magnitude in the past few years as well, the Minister said. He recalled that earlier the metropolitan Fidesz Group had asked the government for funding so that there should be no road left without asphalt covering in Budapest.

The situation has since deteriorated, he continued, as the new metropolitan leadership distributes the grants worth some HUF 25 billion available for road refurbishment projects “clearly on the basis of political considerations”.

In the case of the refurbishment of roads, “political affiliation […] should have no relevance,” Mr Gulyás said, stating that therefore the HUF 5 billion now made available will be used for good purposes also next year.

Budapest’s new leadership has taken funds away from road development projects recently planned by Fidesz district mayors and earlier approved by the metropolitan municipality “on a punitive basis,” the Minister said, urging the metropolitan municipality to put an end to this practice. Ministerial Commissioner for coordinating the Budapest Road Construction Programme Kristóf Szatmáry said the metropolitan “rainbow coalition’s” decision “described shamefully as based purely on professional considerations” detrimentally affects the nine non-left-led districts.

According to his information, these districts represent 50 per cent of Budapest’s territory with a population accounting for almost one third of the capital’s inhabitants. Mr Szatmáry said what is most shocking is that in the 16th, 17th, 21st and 23rd districts accounting for one third of Budapest’s territory the new city leadership “allocated zero forints” for the refurbishment of metropolitan roads.

Mónika Dunai, Fidesz Member of Parliament for Rákosmente, 17th district pointed out that as Budapest’s district with the largest territory, they are the most affected by the withdrawal of funds.

The capital’s leadership has given up on 260,000 people and 10 per cent of the city’s territory, the Fidesz politician highlighted.

She pointed out that in Rákosmente dirt roads accounting for one third of the road network must be improved continuously; the asphalting programme launched with direct state assistance has been ongoing for two years.

According to Ms. Dunai, Rákosmente is the most affected by the metropolitan withdrawal of funds also from the respect of the maintenance and refurbishment of existing roads.

It is to be hoped, she said, that the connecting road earlier planned between Rákosliget and Rákoskeresztúr could also be built from the government funding now announced. Ms. Dunai further spoke about the multifunctional sports hall which is currently being built in Rákosmente, observing that the district was going to build a junction assisted with traffic lights there from funding to be provided by the capital; however, Mayor of Budapest “Gergely Karácsony has zeroed this project as well”.

In her opinion, “it can be seen as nothing short of revenge” that Deputy Mayor of Budapest Erzsébet Gy. Németh who lives in the 17th district and who was not elected as Member of Parliament “allowed” the transport of people living in Rákosmente to be significantly delayed due to the cancelled road refurbishment projects. In answer to a question from the press, Mr Gulyás said they will decide on the distribution of the road refurbishment funds not on a political basis.

(Prime Minister’s Office / MTI)