Categories
Journalistic Survey
Articles
Reportage
Analitic
Photo Reportage
Exclusive
Interview
Foreign Media about Georgia
Editorial
Position
Reader's opinion
Blog
Themes
Children's Rights
Women's Rights
Justice
Refugees/IDPs
Minorities
Media
Army
Health
Corruption
Elections
Education
Penitentiary
Religion
Others

Amended Budget Unable to Provide for Needy 85-year-old

February 3, 2011
 Inga Gvasalia, Samegrelo

Aleksanda Kajaia lives in the village Menji, in the district Bataria of the Senaki Municipality. “Lives’’ may not be the right word for her situation. In 2000, her two-storied house almost burned down. Only the walls of the first floor survived. The 85-year-old woman spends her night at neighbors or in the shed behind her former house.

“I requested  help from numerous entities. PM Guram Misabashvili did not even listen to me. The former Governor Koba Kilasonia was the only one who provided me with one-time financial assistance of 50 GEL. Two months ago, I addressed new Governor Tengiz Adamia but have not received an answer yet. If only they would roof the first floor,” – laments Aleksandra Kajaia.

Humanrights.ge addressed the Governor of the Senaki Municipality Tengiz Adamia in an effort to get a response to this matter.

“The budget does not provide money for those people whose houses burned down in 2000. The program that we used for helping those who have lost their house to fire has been operating since 2007. Unlike Zugdidi and Khobi, the Senaki Municipality has a very poor budget. However, we will soon build the metallurgy factory that will increase the income. As for Aleksandra Kajaia, we will help her in a different form- as an elder and needy citizen,” – stated Tengiz Adamia.

We discovered that of the money envisaged for natural disaster sufferers in the local budget of 2010 – 12,700 GEL was redirected to a different program. The head of the Senaki Municipality Council does not deny these findings. This money was allocated for those whose homes have been destroyed by fire in the beginning.

As Head of the Senaki Municipality Council, Besik Narmania stated that this 12, 700 GEL was included in the program for helping socially vulnerable people: “This money was included in the social fund. These are the programs of the UN and the Danish Refugee Council. We will try to include this lady in these programs. We will also work with other NGOs to help her. As for natural disasters, the additional money will be transferred in 2011 for this purpose.”

According to the information of Dali Shonia, the Head of the Senaki Municipality Service for Labor, Public Health and Social Protection, Veterans, Refugees and IDPs, Aleksandra Kajaia was given a one-time sum of 70 GEL as financial assistance in 2008.

“As you know, since 2007 the Program for Victims of Fire has been operating. I joined this program two years ago and we helped everybody we could. 500GEL financial assistance had been provided for people whose houses entirely burned down till 2010. In 2010 it increased  to 800 GEL. If the house was not entirely burned, then the owner would receive 400 GEL. As for Aleksandra Kajaia, I received her complaint approximately two months ago this year. I personally visited her family and studied her family situation. We presented her case to the Monitoring Group session and will try our best to help her as someone who is needy and elderly.”

According to Donara Alania, the head of the Financial Service of the Senaki Municipality, the problems caused by natural disasters are financed by social service programs: “Last year this program was called The Program for Assisting the Sufferers of Natural Disasters, this year it is called The Program for Victims of Conflagration. Sufferers of natural disasters need more money than exists. That is why the social service department has created such concrete program. t.”

The head of the opposition party of City Council Murad Shamatava, blamed the local government for inappropriately spending budget money: “It is not bad to save money for the needy. Both spheres need financing, but the budget is planned for spending money purposefully. The fact is that 12, 700 GEL was spent on a different program. This is an example of inappropriate spending of budget money. We should have used this money for the sufferers of conflagration and other natural disasters.”

The deputy head of the Senaki Municipality faction Our Georgia – Free Democrats Revaz Khulordava thinks that it would be better if the 12, 700 GEL was still used for the sufferers of conflagration: “The money must be distributed according to the needs of citizens. It was not necessary to spend all money on Kajaia but they should have helped her at least with some money. Now you see that an elder is left homeless. Can they not roof and reconstruct one room?”

According to the data provided by the head of the Senaki Municipality Fire Service- Demur Mebonia, like Aleksandra Kajaia, fires have left 43 people homeless between 2000 and 2007. Their houses were entirely burned down. Like Kajaia they too waited for financial assistance in vain. Aleksandra Kajaia has two faded newspapers attached to the wall of her one-room shed. One of them has a photo of President Saakashvili on it with the famous election slogan: “Work instead of Talk.”

News