Law on Construction Is Stricter

Amendments are going to be brought to the Georgian law on “state supervision on architectural-construction activities”. According to the draft law, the control on the construction becomes stricter. If law is breached, the constructor will be fined from 200 to 30 000 GEL.  Consequently, building companies will raise prices on flats.

Article 2 in the amendments envisages the punishment for breaching the estimated regulations in construction. Such as: deconstruction of the building without legal permission, without a notice board on the construction fence, using the building without its development. Article 5 of the same amendment envisages the punishment for not paying the fine in the fixed time. In this case, the building will be sold under the law.

Under the same article, violation of construction norms and rules in zones with particular construction regulation will be fined 10 000 GEL. If the zone has cultural meaning, then similar violations will be fined 5 000GEL.

Article 52 of the amendments deals with illegal construction and deconstruction. According to this article, it is impossible to start construction or the dismantling of a building without a corresponding permit. If these regulations are violated, the constructor will be fined from 200 to 20 000GEL.

Article 52 envisages the fine from 200 to 3 000 GEL for setting up a fence around the construction through breaching regulations; Using of the building without its development will be fined from 200 to 10 000 GEL; Giving up the construction through breaching the law will be fined from 200 to 30 000GEL. Sanctions also deal with furnishings for the building and it envisages the fine from 200 to 10 000GEL.
If the constructor does not pay the fine in a fixed time, the plot will be confiscated. 

Simultaneously, amendments are being brought to the “Georgian Administrative Code”. According to those amendments, construction companies will be fined for polluting the area.  More precisely, “throwing construction remains, waste materials, and things into the rivers, lakes and on their embankments, parks, gardens, squares, yards, sport grounds, car parks, markets and some more places, as well as the violation of the regulations of dusting the area, cleaning the territory from the remains and other rules for dusting will be fined. In this case, a person will be fined 200 GEL, while a legal entity, enterprise or organization will be fined 1 000 GEL. However, if a person repeats the same illegal activity, the fine will be 500GEL, and in the similar situation a legal entity, enterprise or organization will pay the fine of 3 000GEL.

Representative of the Construction Company Centre-Point, Tika Rukhadze, said that it was necessary to adopt similar legislation. However, she does not deny that prices will rise by the end of the year. “It is necessary to make reports on each violation of the construction regulations. Thus, the law will be more effective. When law regulates construction regulations, the company will be obliged to demand its builders to obey some standards. In the past we did not react properly on prolonged constructions and we were punished for this violation. Now, the builder will know that if he does not finish building in time, he will be fined.”

As for the prices, tariffs on construction will rise as much as they will on construction materials. Increased prices are an actual problem by the end of every year. “Prices rise on everything by the end of the year.  As a rule, we receive construction materials from the international market, thus we depend on the prices estimated there. Land price also increases year by year and finally I do not exclude the possibility that everything will influence the price on our final product,” said Rukhadze.

The Tbilisi population categorically resists constructions in parks and squares and demands to regulate this problem immediately. Among them are residents from Gelovani Avenue, whose suits are not paid attention to at all. “I live in Gelovani Av. opposite the Furniture House. There used to be a beautiful park in the yard and children used to play there. Now, they started construction in the park and no place is left to rest there. Let the officials from the department responsible for the issues like that, tell us why they have permitted construction here. It happened while the present government was in office and not during the previous one,” said one of the residents.

Authors of the draft law claim that as soon as amendments are voted for, corresponding bodies will punish each illegal construction.

Eka Gulua