Garages Are Destroyed

Maka Malakmadze, Batumi

Residents of Javakhishvili Street in Batumi applied to the Human Rights Centre for help. Supervision Department Batumi City Hall has destroyed their garages.

On July 21, 2009 Batumi municipality board issued property permission N 1221 to the commonwealth “Elva” which was established in Javakhishvili street N 80. 1 297-square-meter non-agricultural plot with 650 square meters of buildings on it was registered on the commonwealth. The Supervision Department deconstructed those buildings – garages in the area. The residents protest the deconstruction because they hold legal permission on building garages based on the resolution N 143 of the executive committee of the city council of Batumi on 11 February 1987.

“We built these garages legally, but the City Hall can destroy them because they are located on state land,” complained one of the residents Aishe Beridze.

According to the retired person Suliko Ghoghoberidze, officials from the Supervision Department almost physically assaulted her, because she resisted when they tried to destroy the Marani (cellar for wine) in garage.”Is this normal life? I have been taking care of that Marani for 20 years; I also keep old furniture in it. They came and destroyed everything and almost beat me because I started complaining.”

“They should have taken garbage after destroying garages,” said Dodo Nemsadze resident of Javaxishvili street N 57 and pointed to the rubbish on the place of the ruined garages. It was terrible to see how they destroyed everything and then left the area. They wanted the territory to be clean but now how long will this rubbish remain here?”

Owners of the garages are discontented by the promised compensation. “According to the authority I wasted only 1300 GEL to build this garage. They say we will receive only this compensation. Millions are not enough for officials and they estimate standards for compensations of people. They do not care what we have done” residents say.

The Human Rights Centre appealed to the Supervision Department of Batumi City Hall several times but in vain. The head of the department Davit Davitadze sent us to the spokesperson. The latter told us “there is nothing new about the garages. If we have some news we will inform you.”