The opposition Social Democratic Union of Macedonia (SDSM) called on Skopje town hall to stop construction of the Panoramic Wheel and to direct the funds toward gasification or construction of an underground boulevard.
Most of the funds used for the Panoramic Wheel, which is already under construction and will span the Vardar River in downtown Skopje, are allocated from the central Government budget.
"The issue of the Panoramic Wheel is related to the budget of the Government, which is currently up for a revision in Parliament. In this revision, healthcare funding is being reduced by 9,4 percent, agriculture subsidies and rural development will be down by EUR 15 million and railway construction will also be down, by EUR 21 million", said Damjan Mancevski, SDSM Vice President and head of the party group in the Skopje City Council.
The Panoramic Wheel is one of the last elements of the major downtown development project, which SDSM has bitterly opposed.