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Telavians vs. The Power Distribution Service Centre

May 18, 2006

Telavians vs. The Power Distribution Service Centre

An increase in electricity prices has raised concerns amongst the population. The government has decided that those who use about 100 kilowatts of power per month will be charged less, those who use 100-300 kilowatts will pay more and those who need more than 300 kilowatts will have to pay the highest price. The population is also worried about the installation of new meters too. The inhabitants of the Kakheti region claim that the Power Distribution Service severely violates the rights of the electricity users. Telavians threaten to hold protests.

Installation of the new meters has already finished in some districts of Telavi but some parts of the city still use the old ones. People living in those parts of the city where the new meters have been installed allege that the Power Distribution Service demanded 50 laris for their installation.

“At first they said that installation of the new meter was free. However, staff of the Power Distribution Service later demanded 50 laris for each individual meter. I had the old meter and I paid my bills. Why should I pay?” asks D. Burduli, who think that the Power Distribution Service wants to make money through installing the meters.

The majority of Telavians do not intend to pay the 50 laris. The Power Distribution Service Centre in Telavi offers customers who refuse to pay the 50 laris the use of shared meters. This offer is unacceptable for the population, because if they use shared meters they will have to pay much more.

 “Although in my neighborhood each family had an old meter, four families shared one new common meter, which was registered to only one person. Later, we were told that the individual meter would be fixed for free only for the person the common meter was registered to. The rest would have to pay an extra 50 laris. My family uses no more than 100 kilowatts a month, but three or four families together use 300 kilowatts. The Power Distribution Service says that we will have to pay the highest price anyway. They also suggest paying 50 laris for the individual meters to be fixed in order to avoid extra payment later. Both the government and the companies only think about how to make more money from people”, says Dalakishvili.

Khatuna Chumburidze, the manager of the Power Distribution Service Centre in Telavi, states that the customers should pay according to the shared common meters. “We fix the individual meters for free only for those customers who are registered with us. Those who used to share the common meters but now want individual ones will have to pay 50 laris. However, those who do not want to pay 50 laris, can use the common meter but have to pay according to kilowatts metered by the common one”, states Chumburidze.

She also adds that the above was decided by the Head Office of the Power Distribution Service Centre and the Regional Office can not change the decision.

The local opposition parties support the population of Kakheti. The Labor and Conservative parties arranged a special press-conference regarding the issue. “If the government does not compromise, we will take to streets with another wave of protests”, they declared at the press-conference. The majority of Telavians support the decision of the opposition parties and they are preparing for large scale, intense protests.

Veriko Kobiashvili from Telavi

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