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Pre-Election Protest of Traders in Gori

June 4, 2014
 
Lado Bichashvili, Shida Kartli

Traders continued protest in Gori before elections too. Part of them took radical measures and broke into the territory of old market in Guramishvili square. “We will vote for the candidate, who will restore old market,” the traders claimed.

“They must be afraid of people, of hungry people. They come to families and urge us for votes. Nobody takes care of this city,” trader Eka Kareli complained.

Guram Chigladze, trader: “I regret why I voted for 41 (Georgian Dream). We were full of hopes when they came in the government; we did not expect them to deceive us so much but they turned up even worse.”

Traders refused to move to a new market in Tsmindatskali settlement in Gori. They said the reason is location of the new trading center, which is located in the outskirt of the town and less customers go there. Traders stay in the market at nights because they are afraid the market administration will remove counters. 

Ketevan Elikashvili, trader: “We did not elect previous government because they did not work for people. We elected new government to put them in service of people but nothing has changed.”

The traders broke into the territory of the old market, which is owned by the Ltd Israeli Project Management. Company representatives claim the traders broke into their private property and do not allow them to demolish the old constructions in the area.

Thea Gogsadze, lawyer at the Georgian-Israeli Project Management: “I wonder who will be responsible for the safety of those people if outdated constructions on the spot collapse one day?! Let’s ask those people whether they trade in the territory legally.”

Due to urgency of the problem, every candidate for Gori city mayor’s position promise traders to return to the old place of Gori market. Candidate Zurab Jirkvelishvili from the ruling coalition is more careful in his pre-election promises and says that the territory belongs to investor and government can only give recommendations to the company. The government officials till continue meetings with traders and investors.

Soso Vakhtangashvili, Gori district single-seat MP. “We think to offer some proposals to the investor and discuss different options. We will not be against of returning market traders to the old place if it resolves the problem. If the investor has desire and respects the will of those people, they will take step for the solution of the problem.”

Candidate from Non-Parliamentary Opposition Ioseb Bortsvadze spoke about business interests of the local governmental officials. He said several senior officials have purchased shops in the new market and they still have monopolist approach to the issue and neglect interests of the traders.

In parallel to the problems with market traders, Georgia-Israeli Project Management has legal argument with several leasers, who complain about illegal demolishment of shops in the territory of old market.

Maya Chalauri, individual entrepreneur: “We are eight leasers, who had leased the property for 52 years; we run family businesses here. My lease agreement was registered in the Civil Registration Agency; they breached my rights of entrepreneur; the company does not want to compensate my damage either.”

Several individual entrepreneurs constructed buildings in the territory of old market; the property was assigned to them with the right of construction. Lawyer of the victimized entrepreneurs Merab Dagelashvili said the company must pay compensation to traders.

Merab Dagelashvili, lawyer: “When lease agreement expires, the leaser Georgia-Israeli Project Management is authorized to compensate the cost of the constructions in the territory; until they pay the compensation, the Company does not have right to deconstruct buildings.”

Thea Gogsadze of the Georgia-Israeli Project Management requested traders to provide those legal documents, based on which they started litigation. The victimized traders intend to request compensation from the market administration via court. 

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