Eco-migrants are Left without Shelter

Eco-migrants are Left without Shelter

The most of Eco-migrants, who were moved to Batumi from Ajarian high regions and have lived in boarding-house “Batumi” since 1990, are left without shelter now. Only 28 of 66 families, living in the mentioned boarding house, got compensation of 7 thousand USD. Population, those without compensation, considers that the funds were distributed incorrectly. Those, without any place to go, have lived in the tents in front of the boarding house for five days.

“Having been observed by the commission, the sum was to be given to homeless people- it was written thus. Am I not homeless, why Am I not given it?”, - disabled person of the second group Kemal Kakaladze is asking.

Together with those from Tsablani, damaged by the disaster, landslide and with burnt houses, so called “Aspindza Group” families (family members of former head of Adjara, Aslan Abashidze’s former guards) and 21 rent families lived in boarding house “Batumi”. Only 20 families from Tsablani and selected 8 more families got compensation. The commission had studied their conditions before distributing the funds.

“According to the commission, compensation belonged only to homeless. The house might stand, but it is permanently under element threat. As soon as it started raining, we were to go to our neighbors”, - pointed out Guram Shainidze from Kinchauri.

The people, living in the street consider that compensation was distributed through criminal arrangement: “Whereas, some renting families also were compensated, it is evident that officials were bribed. They made documents of incurred people and were compensated as well. We, who are really damaged, are left without money. We can not find justice anywhere, whomever we applied to, everybody answered as if they are not guilty in it “- people declare.

“I have lived in this boarding house since 1998, though the commission list says I live in Khikhadziri, with my brother. The people witness my long- term living here.”-declares Tamar Kamadadze.

As people say, they were “thrown away like lambs”. “Certain foreign investor came here two years ago, though, seeing people, living in it, refused to buy the building. Now appeared the person, who bought it with people and threw us away”

People have been living in shortly- made tents for five days, though the rain made them enter one room in the boarding house. “It was such a heavy rain last night that my child nearly drowned, we were to find shelter in the ground floor, to protect the child from catching a cold.”

Nobody has met the people yet. They even agree to move into the building of Drug-abuse Treatment, though nobody has offered it to them yet. “Having just a roof over is a satisfactory offer to us, refugees did not accept this proposal, but we are ready to.” –said Suliko Makharadze.

The people have applied to the corresponding structures: “We have applied to Aleko Shvelidze, he said it is unfair, but the lists had been done before my coming here. Those lists are in Levan Varshalomidze’s competence. But we could not reach Levan Varshalomidze”

Kakha Guchmanidze, head of Refuge and Accommodation department, refused to comment the issue, according to Koba Djabua, solicitor of LTD “Turinvesti” “The families were selected on the base of the lists delivered by the Healthcare Ministry. The Ministry sent us the list with only 28 incurred families. This people behave dishonestly, none of them deserved anything. Though they all were presented 500USD. Simply they did not want to live in the village any more. and now they wish flats in the city.”

Maka Malakmadze, Batumi