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Street Trading in front of Kutaisi City Hall

August 26, 2009

Shorena Kakabadze, Kutaisi

Street traders of household materials and hygiene kits have changed their address in Kutaisi. They have been trading in front of Kutaisi City Hall for several days now instead of the area near the central market they had been trading before. This is a how the street traders express their protest against the police ousting them from the area they had been trading before.

“This government left us no other to us. We cannot wait till our children die of hunger. If it is forbidden to trade where we had been trading before then we will trade here: we are doing two things at a time: we trade and wait when the city authorities meet us. Hopefully, they will get bored from watching our provisions and will finally agree to meet us,” say the street traders.

Street traders have had problems with the trading in the street many times. The local police have raided them numerous times.

“They insulted and assaulted us. Ok, we will not trade there but where shall we go then? When they ordered us to leave the place for the first time they promised another venue for trading but they forgot their promise. Several days ago we met the Kutaisi City Mayer. He told us we had to take care of your problems on our own. “I cannot do anything”, he said. Is it called “talking with people”? Is this how the City Mayer is talking with the people? If this is how it works, we will not set back and stay here until our problem is settled,” said Irma Giorgadze, one of street traders.

The Kutaisi City Hall states that street trading distorts the city view and it must be abolish for good. The City Hall officers have not said anything about their promise to provide street traders with an alternative area for trading.

“Street trading at every corner of the city is unacceptable. They can trade in a market. There is no other solution to this problem,” said Nugzar Shamugia, the Kutaisi City Mayer.

Gocha Tevdoradze, an MP from the United National Movement met the street traders when the situation tensed at the protest.

“He told us that we would not achieve the solution to the problem with uproar and conflict. He said we should find other ways. He promised to meet the City Mayer. He said they would solve the problem at our benefit. We will not go away for sure. We will wait till the promise is kept. Otherwise, we will continue protesting using more acute forms. The protests will not be over until our rights are reinstated,” said the street traders.

The traders who trade food provisions in streets have the same kind of problems. They had been trading at the city central bazaar but they were raided by the police many times. The traders of food provisions claim they will join a “bazaar” in front of the City Hall in the next few days as a form of protest.

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