“Let Them Arrest Us Together with Our Cows”

Residents of Nabada settlement in Poti request pasture from the government. They say the territory they used for the purpose in the past has now become private property.

“The pasture we used in the past was assigned to Arabs for the construction of industrial zone. Another pasture was assigned to a businessman for the terminal. Where shall we go now? Shall we die of hunger? The only income of local people is from cattle; we have nothing more. Besides that, it is not city center; if they see a cow somewhere they capture it; then we have to pay fine of 50 GEL for each cow. Let them arrest us together with our cows; we already feel ourselves as prisoners,” said a resident of Nabada settlement.

According to the resolution of Poti City Council, a person will be fined with 50 GEL if his/her cow pastures on the territory of the city; next time the person will have to pay fine of 100 GEL. If the fact occurs again, the cow will be sold and the money will be given to the owner.

The city service of infrastructure controls the implementation of the resolution. If nothing is changed in the resolution, the residents of Nabada settlement intend to block Poti-Tbilisi motor way and protest demonstrations.