The Kirov administration was criticized for insufficient oversight of T Plus.

      In 2019, the Kirov authorities entered into a concession agreement with the subsidiary of T Plus. Under this agreement, energy company staff take temporary possession of municipal heating networks and bring them into order, while periodically reporting on their activities to officials. However, there have been some issues with the last point.

      Today, during a City Duma commission meeting, deputies heard a report from a representative of the administration regarding violations identified by the Kirov Control and Supervisory Service (KSP) in June, which led to two citations being issued to the administration. At first glance, these violations do not seem serious—they mainly involve the company's failure to provide certain information, missing data in the network, lack of land lease agreements for the facilities, and so on. Most of these violations have already been addressed.

      However, deputies were more troubled not by the violations themselves, but by the difficulty authorities sometimes face in obtaining reports on the concessionaire's activities, and the lack of oversight over these activities. For example, Deputy Denis Erokhin noted that, in his opinion, the interaction between officials and T Plus is built on trust: “T Plus” came, showed slides, pretty pictures, and everyone believed. That’s it. With such control, they will continue to come and say everything is great and wonderful. Erokhin also expressed strong doubts about whether the energy company will fulfill its plans for the coming years, given the recent sharp increases in the prices of necessary materials. He believes the administration might not even be aware of the real situation.

      Elena Merzlyakova, head of the KSP in Kirov, also expressed concern about insufficient oversight from the administration, particularly regarding compliance with the performance indicators set out in the concession agreement. "The administration has the right to exercise control, including over the fulfillment of these indicators," she said. "But we are talking about a lack of control. Currently, no one in the administration is designated to oversee this... No control over the achievement of these indicators is being carried out. And this is a condition of the concession agreement."

      Merzlyakova also mentioned difficulties in obtaining information from T Plus, especially data on asset write-offs. “It seems that the administration's demands are not binding in any way. Because there is still no information about these assets. Have they even conducted the work or not?”

      Kirov mayor Elena Kovaleva expressed frustration over the fact that the administration is doing nothing to hold the concessionaire accountable. “We haven't really made any claims, and time is passing. They might not report to us at all. Are we just going to sit back and watch coldly? We need to restore order in our interactions with T Plus.”

      Vяcheslav Simakov, the head of the Kirov administration, as always, tried to smooth over the situation as much as possible. He noted that the performance indicators outlined in the agreement are being met and that the energy company is providing the necessary information. Another representative from the administration promised to hold a working meeting with T Plus to discuss all the nuances of concern to deputies and the KSP.