Noise at Telavi District Administration – Victims of Natural Disaster Request Compensation

Natia Danelishvili, Information Center of Kakheti

On January 23, victims of natural disaster from Vardisubani village in Telavi district held protest demonstration in the reception of the Telavi district governor. Demonstrators request to insert victimized peasants on the list and to compensate them. They wanted meeting with Telavi district interim governor Zurab Kurashvili but security officers did not allow them into the reception. Employees of the district administration told protesters Kurashvili was not in the office.

Vardisubani residents say they were victimized by natural disaster of July 19, 2012 and received 1 000 lari compensation from the previous government; however, damage verification commission did not insert them on the new list now.

Deputy district governor Davit Napireli also met protesters and said that the commission would insert victimized people on additional list; though the families, who were damaged otherwise, would not receive compensation.

“I instructed every village governor, that if the Commission had omitted families, whose plots were damaged, they shall be inserted on the list. However, the compensations will be distributed only for damaged agricultural plots,” the deputy governor told protesters.

Vardisubani residents reminded Napireli of prime-minister Bidzina Ivanishvili’s pre-election promise and demanded to pay promised 4 700 lari to each victimized family. “Why did we vote for them then?! We expected them to assist us,” Nana Tsitsashvili from Vardisubani said.

“You did not vote for [the Coalition]! I see how you voted for them! How will you prove that you voted for the Georgian Dream?” Paata Gotsiridze from GD, who was in the district administration during protest, asked the citizen.

After Davit Napireli noted that people will receive compensations only for damaged agricultural plots, the situation got tenser and deputy governor suggested people to return to the village and promised their representatives would arrive in the village to study their problems on the place.

Napireli’s reply dissatisfied Vardisubani residents. “They do not even give us proper answers; he sent us away. They must reimburse our damage; but they allege 1000 lari was enough for us,” Meri Tsignadze told ICK.

“They do not aid us; if other village residents deserve compensation, we also were victimized. They are sending us to the regional governor. He said I do not deserve compensation because only small part of my plot was damaged. They allege I had voted for another political party [during parliamentary elections] and that is the reason; I voted for the party which I wanted,” Nana Tsitsashvili said.

Distribution of compensation on the victims of natural disaster started on January 23. People can get money at Telavi office of the Cartu Bank. According to the Ministry of Regional Development and Infrastructure, there are about 29 000 beneficiaries on the list. On January 23, the Ministry published the list of only 2 768 beneficiaries. The Ministry representatives said the lists were sent to all five districts of Kakheti region. “Citizens shall apply to local government to learn whether they were inserted on the list of first transfer; they can also get relevant information from village governors. Next list will be sent to Cartu Bank in near future. The entire process will last 5-6 weeks. In order to conduct the process according to the schedule, the Ministry requests victimized citizens to be attentive and apply to local governments to get additional information,” the Ministry stated.

Victims of heavy hail of May 10, 2012 were not inserted on the list either; though according to current data, 80% of their harvest was damaged. The victims cannot pay debts taken at different banks and might remain without homes unless they pay the debts.