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IDPs Blame the Government for Using a Double Standard

July 28, 2009

Tea Tedliashvili, Gori

Tengiz Basishvili was settled in the village of Skra. He is discontented with the activities of the government. According to him the cottages and funds were distributed illegally among the IDPs from the Valley.

“I had two houses in the village of Kurta in the buffer zone. Everybody knew that both houses were registered to me. When we fled from the Valley I was told that only one cottage was built for my family though I had two houses in the village. I left a car in the village. I fled from the village after everybody already had  left the area--it was August 12. For the second time here they told me to bring documents regarding my car.  I had taken documents in Rustavi. When I brought them to the village council of Kurta officials laughed at me saying they would seize my car from Ossetians as soon as separatists appear on our side. I was still in Kurta when those people from the village council were sitting in Marjanishvili Street in Tbilisi. Now they do nothing more than annoy people. We have to travel to Tbilisi to get the least information; but people do not have enough money to travel. We do not know how to survive, while officials are enjoying themselves. When I left even special unit, police and people already had fled. The police and personnel of the Sanakoev’s Administration (temporary Administration of South Ossetia subordinated to the central government of Georgia) were the first to flee from the valley. They did not tell the people that the war had started and left us there without paying any attention to us,” said Tengiz Basishvili who is irritated by the activities of the government.

The IDP added that the government supports only certain people while others remain without any support. IDPs living in the new settlements also complain about the same problem. They say that some families who had one house in the Liakhvi Valley received a cottage and compensation too. The IDPs think only those people received compensations who had relatives or people close to them in the government. Those, who had nobody in the government, received only one cottage regardless of whether they had one house or two in the village. The IDPs claim the government is using a double standard and distributes houses according to their own wish. For example, when IDPs complain that they had two houses in the valley and should get either two cottages in new settlements or one house and compensation, the government replied to them that the cottages were assigned to each family and since the family already has a shelter they shall not receive one more house. But if an IDP says that two families lived in the house in the village and now two families (of two brothers, for example) cannot live in one small cottage they are told the cottages were assigned according to the number of houses IDPs lost in the valley. So, the government has replies ready to every question and complaint; however, the officials are generous only to those people who are their relatives or friends.

At the meeting Manana Champuridze, head of the IDP Department in the Shida Kartli and Samtskhe-Javakheti regions clarified the issue. “The compensation is not compensation for the property of the IDPs. The government had to shelter IDPs so those who had a big house or two or more houses in the valley received only once cottage in new settlements. These people received shelters at this stage and the government will take additional measures in the next stage,” said Manana Champuridze.

The IDPs have a different opinion about the issue.

“I know that 800 people in the village of Tamarasheni received compensation for a house though there are only 250 houses in the village. They gave money only to those people whom they like. This is their justice. I was told they would build two houses when we return to Kurta. I know that my neighbor received two cottages though he had only one in the village; however I cannot reveal his name. As for his father, he received compensation for the same house. Nevertheless, families who really had two houses got only one cottage. In addition to that, rain is leaking in the cottages; the walls are cracked and nobody is going to repair it. They get money but do nothing, “said Tengiz Basishvili.

According to Davit Datashvili, governor of the Kurta Municipality, only 450 people got compensation in the Liakhvi gorge. As for the village of Tamarasheni, only 80 people got compensation. “What the population got as compensation, it is not compensation for the property. IDPs can buy only cottages with this money. God forbid that we cannot return to our homeland, but if it is unavoidable, these people will be fully compensated. IDPs left there not only houses, they had other property also and gardens and they had such harvest that they could buy one or two houses. Now we give one cottage to a family for living. Those who refuse to get a cottage they get 10 000 USD and they buy houses themselves. For example, Ioseb Datashvili lived in the village of Tamarasheni. His children were abroad. He had 4 houses in Tamarasheni. We could not give him more than one house. It is impossible to give 4 houses to one IDP when 20% of IDPs still are not settled. Sometimes there are some misunderstandings... We have a commission which makes lists and we base what we do on that information. Village governors, MPs of Assembly, coordinators are on this commission. Family registration books were burned so we could not direct our actions with these books. Although, it would not be fair to direct our actions with those books because a lot of aid has been brought into the gorge for 15 years. Families lived separately but they were one family. So sometimes it would not be fair to give cottages according to families. And sometimes we separated families because they had many members. We could not settle together those who had 3 sons. We try to satisfy IDPs with what the government can afford. Now we have 16 houses in Lagodekhi where we can settle IDPs but we cannot do it because nobody wants to go to Lagodekhi. IDPs should be treated carefully because they had seen so much. So we cannot make them settle there. That’s why it is impossible to settle IDPs completely”- stated governor of the Kurta Municipality Davit Datashvili in conversation with us.

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