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Kaspi Residents Will Soon Be Lost in “Kaspitsementi” Black Smoke

August 27, 2007

Kaspi residents could not recover from white smoke of Kaspitsementi (cement producing factory) and now they are likely to be lost in black smoke produced by the same factory. Gela Vardziashvili, general director of the Saktsmenti, said that soon their factory will use coal instead of gas as a fuel.

After Rose Revolution many demonstrations were held against the Kaspi Cement Factory. In 2004 the board of the factory claimed that they would install dust filters on the chimneys before 2005. However, there have been no filters even in 2007. General Director states that the factory will install filters before summer in 2008.

Monitoring group has been established within the Kaspi Municipality for a month already that should monitor the installment of the filters. Final meeting was held on August 22. Members of the monitoring group invited Gela Vardziashvili and Mamuka Suladze, General Director of Kaspitsementi, to the Municipality. The guests made a surprise to monitoring group and started negotiation about new initiative on using coal as fuel.

Gela Vardziashvili (the head of Saktsementi): “Now we are working on the problem how to replace gas by coal in our factory. The changes were caused by increased price on gas. The factory has already started negotiations with coal producers. I should say that it will make no difference for people whether the enterprise use coal or gas as a fuel. In fact in 2008 we are going to install dust filters in partnership with German and Italian colleagues and we will spend one and half million Euros on purpose. I confirm the information that the factory will start usage of coal and only afterwards we will install filters. I should add that there is no difference between coal and gas poisonous remnants. They produce similar amount of harmful substances. However we do promise you that before summer 2008 we will install dust filter.”

Gela Vardzuiashvili’s statements made members of monitoring group furious. Robert Baindurashvili, a member of the monitoring group, said that the factory destroyed their initiatives.

Robert Baindurashvili: “Although we were to discuss installment schedule of dust filters, the board of the factory stated that they intended to use coal as a fuel before installing filters. In addition to that they dare to say that coal will release as much poisonous substance as gas. They are making fun of people.’

Nowadays, two large stoves work in Kaspitsementi. There are two more stone mason plants in the factory and they pollute the surrounding area seriously enough. The factory is located in the middle of the town. Director of Saktsementi stated that the filters will not be installed on those stone-masons.

Khatuna Tatanashvili, a Municipality Deputy, demanded conclusions from branch commissions and fractions.

Khatuna Tatanashvili: “The resolution stated that monitoring group was set up based on the conclusions prepared by branch commissions and fractions. Where are those conclusions? The Municipality has received any conclusions regarding the situation which could demonstrate the damage caused by the factory and in this case why we have set up a group? The situation is simple formality and nothing more.”

Human Rights Center’s Gori office and newspaper Resonance can produce two laws on Use of Natural Resources. One of them is dated by December 29 2004 and the second one was enacted on June 23 2005.

The law enacted on December 29 2004 stated that enterprise should pay 1, 40 lari for the productions of one tone of cement raw materials. The materials can be extracted only in Kaspi district.

Six months later, on June 23 2005 amendments were introduced to the law and the tax on the same amount of raw materials was reduced to 0, 40 lari. No more amendments were introduced to the law. It is natural that those amendments were made in Kaspitsementi’s favor. It is noteworthy that Robert Bezhuashvili, father of present Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Gela Bezhuashvili and MP Davit Bezhuashvili was 95 % shareholder of Kaspitsementi.

On May 3 2007 Lado Chipashvili, Georgian Minister of Labor, Healthcare and Social Welfare, passed a resolution N147/n that listed hard, harmful and dangerous kinds of jobs. Chapter 16 Article 321 of the resolution stated that cement production and extraction was dangerous, hard and harmful labor.

In 2007 Robert Bezhuashvili sold the factory to German investors and now foreigners own the enterprise.

Kaspi residents face danger of remaining without gas. Before last year, only town population used the natural gas supplied by Kaspigazi (Gas Distribution Company). Kaspitsementi found independent alternative source for gas supply for its factories and the population relayed on Kaspigas. The latter cannot gather fares on gas from subscribers. Consequently, cement producing factory paid the debts in similar cases.

As soon as Kaspitsmenti found individual supplier, Kaspigas increased price on gas for subscribers/ Since that time, gas is the most expensive in Kaspi throughout Georgia.

Saba Tsitsikashvili, Gori

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