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Marneuli – the problems of infrastructure and informational vacuum

August 24, 2010
Manon Bokuchava

“Georgia in the first place” – reads the billboard at the entrance of Marneuli. If we believe the “European Center for Minority Issues”, the text written on the Georgian flag background can be read only by 3% of Marneuli population.

The expert of the above-mentioned international organization Jonathan Witley writes in his report on Kvemo Kartli that Azerbaijanis, only 3% of which can read Georgian, represent 83.10% of Marneuli population. “We don’t have special problems in Marneuli” – tells me Semir Gajiev, who meets us under the open-air tea café. He is thankful to the governor, but slowly mentions the problem of drinking water in the city.

“Of course the situation is better than the last years, but the drinking water is available only three times a week and just for 8 hours. Electricity disappears with the blow of wind, it can be the cable problem,” – says Gajiev.

In the central street of Rustaveli in Marneuli there are thick 4-centimeter cables wrapped around the tree, about 20 of them. The cable web covers the apartment buildings and the whole street. The residents advise us to restrain from going down further than the tree, though, as they state, nobody has been struck by the electricity yet.

There are many tea cafes on the central road. This entertainment is only for men. “No girl is seen on this bridge in the morning. That’s why they honked on you so much,” – explains 26 year old Alina Ismailova with a smile. “Though this bridge is in the center of the city, the provincial rules still operate here. Women are not seen in an open place like this. This bridge has an underground, that’s what you should have taken” – explains Alina. As it was found out, the thing that she likes least about Marneuli is the issue of cleanness. “The rubbish is everywhere, small water canals are inside the city. You can look inside and see what the situation is like. The bottles and remains of food products are scattered everywhere. The young people sit in the rubbish even in the newly built square. Small waste-bins are attached to pillars, but nobody worries about emptying them,” – says resident of Marneuli Alina Ismailova.

Alina was guiding me through the city. She says that the only thing that has been done in Marneuli and is worthy of “praise” is the issue of internal transportation. “Before, we needed a taxi to go to another district. Now there are minibuses and buses provided. But you see yourself that our bus stop looks like it’s been mine struck.”

The bus stop does not have a roof, but the pre-election poster with number five on it is still preserved, with the picture of President and the slogan “Still more needs to be done.”

“I can’t really tell you anything about the electricity turn-off in Marneuli because of wind blow. As for the drinking water, this issue is on our agenda. The World Bank financed a three-year project that ensures the full rehabilitation of Marneuli drinking water and canalization system. Starting from the next year, we will have 24-hour water provision in the city. The first part of the project will be launched at the end of September,” – says the governor of Marneuli, Zaza Dekanoidze in a conversation with www.humanrights.ge. On the question, how the work of Marneuli Waste Management Department is evaluated, he says that the problem is the lack of the proper techniques. “Compared to the last year, the situation is a lot better, but we are not really satisfied. We have old techniques and cannot really clean the city thoroughly. We bought two cars and more are needed,” – says Marneuli governor.

Except for the infrastructural and communal problems, Marneuli has many other problems: “We only know about Saakashvili here. We have no idea who the prime-minister or the opposition representatives are,” – says Isamailova from Marneuli.

One of the reasons that Azerbaijanis from Marneuli do not know anybody but Saakashvili is the Azerbaijani canals watched by the local population unable to understand Georgian. Almost every family has the so-called “plates” or satellite television here. The plates constructed in the apartment windows cover the news programs of Azerbaijani first canal. Kvemo Kartli population often talks about this canal since every large-scale Azerbaijani media source has its correspondent here, which cannot be said about Georgian news agencies.

The connection with Baku is an important issue here. “Two of my children have graduated from University in Baku. I’ll send my third one there when he’s done with school,” – says the guest at Marneuli tea café Fazil Mamedov. There are many cars with state license in Marneuli. In the square of fountain, as locals call it, the buses going to Baku transfer twice a day. “We have relatives in Baku. We spend half of the year there. We bring a lot of things back: clothes for our family members and even tea,” – says Mamedov. The new music disks are spread out in Marneuli market, where, for two lari you can buy Azerbaijani passport with red cover.

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