Residents of the Makhachkala village complained about the lack of response to their complaints.

The road in the village of Novy Khushet is broken, and the minibuses bounce through the potholes after turning off the Caspian highway, local residents reported, saying that the authorities do not respond to complaints. Local authorities are responsible for the condition of the roads and for the damage to vehicles due to the poor state of the road surface, noted a lawyer.

As reported by "Caucasian Knot", the road from the Khushet turn to the turn to the "Olivier" store in the Lenin district of Makhachkala has been in poor condition for more than eight years, and appeals to officials demanding its
repair have not yielded results, local residents complained on social media.

Residents of Novy Khushet complained about the condition of the roads and the operation of transport

The problem with public transport in this area has existed for a long time, a resident of Makhachkala Amir told the correspondent of "Caucasian Knot".

"Only two minibuses go to the village of Novy Khushet (located between Makhachkala and Kaspiysk - note from 'Caucasian Knot') - 12a and 101a. Their interval is long, sometimes you have to wait half an hour or more. After turning off the Caspian highway, the condition of the roads leaves much to be desired, there are potholes everywhere, and it can be very difficult to drive in the rain," says Amir.

The roads at the entrance to Novy Khushet are terrible, the minibus bounces through the potholes and bumps.

"I have to travel with transfers, you can't wait for minibuses in this area. If you do catch one, they are all packed to the brim. The roads at the entrance to Novy Khushet are terrible, the minibus bounces through the potholes and bumps. Especially in poor condition are Tulip and Civil streets. I called the mayor's office with a complaint, they said they would pass it on to the management, and that was the end of it," said Aminat.

"Once I had to go to this area for a delivery. There are many potholes, I had to drive very slowly, almost damaged my car. I know that taxi drivers prefer not to take orders here, fearing to damage their vehicles," said delivery person Ismail.

A local journalist speaking on condition of anonymity told the correspondent of "Caucasian Knot" that the condition of many roads on the outskirts of Makhachkala leaves much to be desired.

If the authorities somehow respond to residents' complaints about the condition of roads and other infrastructure in the city center, the outskirts are practically abandoned.

"What can be said about village roads when you can see potholes, bumps, and other issues even in the city center? The problem is also that these are mostly former dacha plots that are not on the city's balance sheet. There are also difficulties with water supply, sewage, and electricity. If the authorities somehow respond to residents' complaints about the condition of roads and other infrastructure in the city center, the outskirts are practically abandoned," the journalist believes.

Local authorities are responsible for vehicle damage due to poor roads

Lawyer Rustam Akhmedov told the correspondent of "Caucasian Knot" that according to federal law "On Automobile Roads and Road Activities in the Russian Federation", local roads must be repaired at the expense of local budgets, but often there are no such funds in the budgets of municipalities in Dagestan. He noted that the key document regulating the timeframes for eliminating defects is the national standard GOST R 50597-2017. According to its requirements, the road surface should not have defects such as potholes, subsidence, or other damages. The elimination of such deficiencies should be carried out within 5 to 14 days from the moment they are discovered.

At the same time, local self-government bodies can be held liable for damage caused to citizens' property due to the improper condition of roads, the lawyer added.

Courts satisfy citizens' claims for damages if a causal link is established between the damage caused and the improper maintenance of the road.

"Judicial practice holds that the responsibility for damaging a vehicle as a result of hitting a pothole in the road surface lies with the organization responsible for maintaining the road. Courts satisfy citizens' claims for damages if a causal link is established between the damage caused and the improper maintenance of the road. In such cases, the defendant is the municipality represented by its administration or authorized institution," Akhmedov explained.

The algorithm of actions in this case is as follows: immediately after the incident, you need to call the traffic police. "They must record the fact of hitting the pothole, its dimensions, which do not comply with GOST, the absence of barriers or warning signs. To assess the damage and determine the cost of restoring the vehicle, an independent examination should be conducted. The costs for conducting the assessment can later be recovered from the defendant. Then, a written complaint should be sent to the organization responsible for maintaining the road. If there is no response, a lawsuit should be filed in court for the forced recovery of damages," the lawyer reported.

On February 5, the administration of Makhachkala reported on its Telegram channel that, among other things, it had worked on route No. 12a. The reason for the check was residents' complaints about the insufficient number of vehicles and increased waiting times.

"During the raid activities, the information presented in citizens' appeals was confirmed. There were actually fewer vehicles in operation than provided for in the approved schedule, and the established traffic regime was not observed. Among the main factors that influenced the violations, carriers cite a severe shortage of drivers due to low wages and staff turnover. Additional difficulties are created by the fact that some buses are temporarily not in use due to repair work and a lack of qualified
technical personnel," the mayor's office informed.