Yakutsk faces a gas dilemma: Determining the timeline for establishing gas monopoly control.

In the city of Yakutsk, residents are facing gas supply disruptions due to the actions of the company Sakhatransneftegaz, the sole active gas distribution company in the region's centre. The private company, made up of investors and business executives from the Russian oil and gas sector, has been pressuring residents and managing companies, causing concern and hardship for many.

According to Government Decree No. 410, Sakhatransneftegaz does not have the right to cut off an entire house from gas supply if at least one apartment has not signed a contract for technical maintenance. However, reports suggest that the company is planning to cut off gas from buildings without technical diagnosis, affecting 516 buildings in Yakutsk and 338 multi-apartment buildings in particular.

The managing company Prometheus has taken legal action against Sakhatransneftegaz in the Arbitration Court, aiming to work out mutually acceptable contract conditions. Other managing companies have also appealed to the prosecutor's office. The Yakutian government, meanwhile, is under pressure to take action to ensure gas is available to citizens and control the prices imposed by Sakhatransneftegaz.

For homeowners, the final cost of in-house gas maintenance is expected to increase significantly. In ordinary houses without gas boilers, the annual expense for technical in-house maintenance has increased from almost 92 rubles to 1,430 rubles. For houses equipped with boilers, the annual expense has jumped from an average of 3,900 rubles to over 8,000 rubles. Repair plus the cost of consumables will not be included in the general service tariff for gas equipment - only for an additional fee.

The situation is particularly severe in Yakutia, where residents are being pressured and managed companies are being affected. Despite a managing company's letter stating they're conducting technical diagnosis at certain addresses, many are still being cut off from gas. There are people, including families with children, the elderly, and the sick, who have conscientiously signed a contract with Sakhatransneftegaz but are unable to use gas.

Sakhatransneftegaz has started a campaign to sign direct contracts with residents, stating that it has the right to perform a minimum list of services for in-house gas technical maintenance and repair. According to the law, however, the company should sign contracts not only with homeowners but also with managing companies, housing cooperatives, and so on.

The federal legislature has introduced law amendments aiming to ensure the safety of gas equipment use, but in many regions, the technical maintenance fee has doubled or quadrupled. Sakhatransneftegaz should apologize to the people affected by the gas disruptions and work towards finding a solution that is fair and equitable for all parties involved.