Bad news for Balti town residents. They will be obliged to pay for their places in cemeteries. 

Thus, instead of paying 600 lei for the funeral, relatives will be required to pay nearly 2,000 lei.  

The Directorate for Road Repairs and Construction, headed by Serghei Pcela a friend of Balti town mayor, Renato Usatii, has imposed the fee. 

Alexandru Caprita has buried his brother three weeks ago. The man said the cemetery administration has not allowed his relatives to dig the grave. He was ordered to pay 1,840 lei, otherwise the dead could not be buried in the cemetery.

People criticize the local authorities' decision.

"It is not normal. People should decide alone. Relatives should be the ones to choose. But they do not allow them."

"The pain is double, you don't even realize what to do and how to do it to get the money and pay."

Every day, employees of municipal pits dug by about ten.

Cemetery administration says that forbade people to dig graves in order to avoid incidents.

"If they want to dig their own graves with their own forces, they are required to be trained. They receive explanations on how tot do it. There were cases where the coffins damaged" , said Balti town cemetery administrator, Vasile Lungu.

Annually, about 1,200 people are burried in the Balti town cemetery. Fees charged for funeral services and burial places in the state budget reach at nearly 2 million lei.