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Dilemma of Traders at Gori Agriculture Market

January 20, 2014
 
Kato Kotolashvili, Shida Kartli

Traders of Gori agriculture market have been protesting removal of the market for three days already. Representatives of the local government meet the initiative group of traders every day to find out the situation and resolve problem. After January 16 meeting, traders tried to block Tbilisi-Senaki-Leselidze central motorway; they walked towards the motorway from Gori administrative building. Regional police department and patrol police officers were mobilized on the area. Traders tried to block the road several times but the police did not allow them; they set up cordon alongside the perimeter. As a result of the attempted blocking of the road and resistance to patrol police officers, protester Ushangi Basharuli was arrested. He was taken to the regional police department; later the court freed him without bail.

The protest demonstration lasted 4 hours at the central motorway. Traders were not going to leave and claimed they would walk to Tbilisi. Their main argument against removal of the market is that new market is located in the outskirts of the town and fewer customers will go there; this fact will have negative impact on their trading.

Dali Kaldani: “Each of us have about 5-6 people waiting in the family. I have 4 underage grandchildren. We have loans at banks. We believe the new market will reduce our income and finally we will get in debts. Moving to another place is suicide for us. We have to pay 1 800 lari for a shop; monthly and daily payments are higher in the new market than here; so it is impossible to go there.”

One more argument is that new market is arranged nearby the military base; part of traders thinks market shall not be placed close to a strategic institution. “A year ago we petitioned to the Ministry of Defense and requested to react on the fact. It is incredible to arrange trading center close to the military base. They will never control who will enter and leave the area. There is no guarantee of our security,” protester Sesili Goloshvili said.

Shida Kartli regional governor and representatives of local authority arrived at the place. They again listened to the arguments of the traders and suggested them ways for the solution of problem. Governmental officials say they are ready to mediate between the protesters and market owner: “As the market is private property, we do not have right to interfere in their activities. My responsibility is to protect human rights within the frame of interests of both parties. The purpose of our team is to assist people to increase their incomes; for example, if in the past your income was 300 lari, it should increase up to 500, 700 lari. We want to raise welfare of every family. We cannot make concrete decisions,” Shida Kartli regional governor Zurab Rusishvili said.

Part of traders went to the office of the Gori district single seat MP to repeatedly discuss main issues. Finally, they agreed to meet up on January 17 for final revision of positions and preparation for the meeting with the market owner. According to Zurab Rusishvili, representative of the Ltd Georgian-Israeli Projects Management, the market owner company, will arrive in Georgia in two days.

Gori district administration sold the market to the Ltd in 2007. In 2011, the company purchased the new territory for 244 402 lari at the auction. Ltd Georgian-Israeli Projects Management took responsibility to construct new trading center in the territory, two equip with necessary infrastructure and create conditions for work.

From January 20, 2014, based on the 2013 agreement between the local district administration and market owners together with the traders, Gori agriculture market shall stop functioning in Guramishvili str. 5 and move to the third kilometers of Tskhinvali Road. 

The agriculture market had to change location in May, 2013 but the traders protested it. With the support of nongovernmental organizations, Gori district single seat MP Soso Vakhtangashvili and local government, the date of removal was postponed for nine months. At the approaching date, the traders renewed protest rallies.

Lawyer Elza Pavliashvili and Kakha Kalmakhelidze, representative of the Georgian United Trade Unions in Gori, protects the rights of the traders. They said rights of their clients are breached in several directions. They intend to properly examine the new territory and have already petitioned to the Levan Samkharauli National Expertise Bureau; the conclusion will be ready by January 20.

Elza Pavliashvili said many buildings cannot be constructed in the territory. With the support of Kakha Kalmakhelidze, the members of the initiative group worked out petition and requirements to be raised at the meeting. They request to reconsider one part of the agreement, according to which parties take responsibility to ban trading in the old territory of the market as soon as the new market is exploited. Traders request to remove this part from the agreement.

There are traders, who did not join the protest rallies and continue trading on their counters. They do not oppose removal of the market. “There is anti-sanitary here; it gets muddy in rainy days and nobody gets to us to buy something. So it is better for me to move to more comfortable place where everybody will have equal conditions. As far as I know it is already settled. Now we have to do our best to adjust to the new conditions,” a trader told humanrights.ge

What is happening in the territory of the old market? The environment is polluted; the area is not cleaned properly; the so-called closed part of the market is damaged; during rain and snow, water leaks into the roof and drops on the products – meat, cheese, fish and other.

Keti Bebiashvili, head of Gori office of the Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association, believes all parties shall agree on the resolution in order to protect everybody’s rights. Market administration shall assist traders to work in the new territory, not to impose additional tax and not to increase their daily payments, etc. 

Works in the territory of the new market has almost finished. All necessary equipment will be placed there by January 17 and infrastructure will be finally arranged. According to the market administration, part of shops and counters are already busy.

Protesting traders claim they will continue assemblies before their requirements are satisfied. 

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