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How the Abkhmeta municipality governor “spares” the budget – removed drinking water fountains in the town and visit in the USA

May 23, 2017
 Reginfo.ge

Akhmeta municipality governor Beka Baidauri ordered to remove all drinking water fountains in the center of Akhmeta to spare the budget but next day he flew to the USA for the 11-day business visit. It was his third visit in the USA on the position of the municipality governor. In total, he visited more than 10 foreign states and some of them several times.

In 2015-2016 Beka Baidauri visited the USA twice for 7-7 day visits. Official purpose of his visits was to attend the conferences of financists. The local budget spent 8 075 GEL on those visits: 5 203 GEL was spent on the first and 2 871 GEL on the second visit.

Network of Information Centers reported that with his visits in foreign countries Akhmeta municipality governor was the leader among other senior officials of local self-governments in Georgia. In 2013-2016 he visited more than 10 countries: USA, Israeli, Austria, Czech Republic, Poland, Moldova, Latvia, Lithuania, France, Italy, Greece and more. He visited some of these countries several times. 

Absolute majority of foreign visits of the governor was funded from the local budget and it cost tens thousands GEL. At the same time, neither visit had particular benefits for the municipality.

It is interesting how the municipality governor clarifies the purpose of frequent foreign visits. Beka Baidauri told the journalist of the TV-program Saturday Kurieri of the Rustavi 2: “It is my obligation to visit foreign countries. Unless I participate in educational-cultural events, it means we are not interested in the integration with EU, NATO and more.”

According to the verified information, a day before his last trip to the USA, the Akhmeta municipality governor ordered to switch off the drinking water fountains in the yard of the municipality administration and nearby square in the center of Abkhmeta to spare budget resources. “I do not need that water,” the governor told the representatives of the water company. Besides that, Beka Baidauri closed the swimming pool and fountain in the center of Akhmeta.

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