Whose Plot Is Georgian Army Located on?

Under the governmental initiative, Gori is gradually turning into a military city. Initially they moved military hospital in the centre of the city and now they are building forts for soldiers. The President said the forts will be the best in Europe.

It is too difficult to enter the fort and take photos in it. The construction is being built by the Defense Ministry and you should receive a permit from the Ministry to enter the area.

The most interesting point in the situation is the land where the military fort is being built.

“Georgian army is strengthening and nobody will defeat us,” these are the most favorite words of the President. The Defense Ministry built forts according to NATO standards in Senaki. Now similar constructions are going on in Gori too. However, we wonder whether the NATO standards also foresee that population must sacrifice their private properties to military forts?!

The place where military base is being built was granted to local people as private property. Current authority has appropriated that land and is going to build forts on it. Before starting construction, they promised the owners to compensate the loss; in May they are going to lodge soldiers in the buildings and have not compensated the owners yet. 150 families were deprived from their property of 23 acres of land without asking any permission.

In 1991 Maia Shakulashvili was granted with the housing plot. However, she has not built any house in it, but she was cultivating the plot and keeping the family with the harvest she received from the plot. Now she cannot grow up vegetables and has to buy them in the market. The family is poor and extra expenses make their life more difficult.

“They started construction without asking us any permission. I have registered the plot at the Registration Department. I used to pay bills on the land too. Those, who had not their plots registered, were advised to register their properties in order to get compensations afterwards. Initially they offered 2 lari for a square meter and then they increased it to 3 lari. However, nobody has ever given anything to us. When we apply to the local government they tell us they do not know anything about the situation. They have appropriated out properties without asking any permissions. Now the authority refuses us to give any compensation,” said Shakulashvili.

The area where the military base should be located on belongs to the Karaleti Community. The plots of the local people were transferred to the Defense Ministry without signing any contracts. Besides that the owners are forced to sell one square meter of their plots for 2 lari only.

Dali Dzakhashvili worked at the Karaleti Public School for 35 years. She was granted with the plot of 23 square meters from the Municipality to build a house on it. Now she has already had it registered, but the plot was registered as an agricultural land and not the housing one. Dzakhashvili does not complain about that, she is worried about the fact that the government is seizing her property.  

“I was growing corn and beans in my plot. I have no more income and they have grabbed my last hope too. Soon this government will kick us out from our houses too. They have destroyed the restaurants that valued more than one million and then forced those people to write that they were giving their properties as gift to the authority. They might soon make us do the same. What do they have to do with our property? Let them at least give us compensation. However, the money, they offer us, is ridiculous,” Dzakhashvili.

Tsitso Natsvlishvili is one of those owners who try to get compensation for the property. She will not avoid traveling to Tbilisi to find justice. She has already applied to the Defense though without any results.

“I went to Tbilisi after local authority failed to assist me. I met every official who could help me. Nukri Dzebniauri, an official from the Logistic Department within the Defense Ministry, told me that they would not give us more than two lari for a square meter. Since that time they have not decided the question even on that price. Two lari is too little. We took a notification from the Shida Kartli Economical and Privatization Service Department which states that the price of a square meter of the third-category-plot is 4, 86 lari. As far as I know, Nino Burjanadze was also involved in the case and called upon the responsible officials to compensate the people. However, Dzebniauri tells us that they are ready to give us two lari; otherwise we will remain without everything. During Self-governmental elections, President’s Representative to the Shida Kartli promised us to give money in November and asked us to stop complaining. So much time has passed since that promise; they are going to open the forts, however we have not been compensated yet,” said Natsvlishvili.

That time Deputy Governor of Gori District, Tamar Edisherashvili, who promised the people to resolve the problem, now is the head of the Financial Department within the Shida Kartli Regional Administration. She said that while she was the deputy governor, negotiations were held between the Gori District Administration and the Defense Ministry to resolve the problem. However, they could not make any conclusions.

“Negotiations were held in two directions. Either those people should be given compensation, or given alternative plots. Some of the owners had old fruit-trees in their plots. However, finally they could not agree on the price and decided to give plots. At present the Gori Municipality must work on the issue and you can get in touch with them,” said Edisherashvili.

Human Rights Center got in touch with Marlen Nadiradze, the chairman of the Gori Municipality.

“The Municipality does not discuss the problem. I do not have any information about it. As far as I know the Defense Ministry is discussing the case. Who has advised you to get in touch with me?” Nadiradze was surprised.

The Human Rights Centre talked with the Chairman of the Logistic Department Nukri Dzebniauri within the Defense Ministry: “Few days ago, the heads of the Defense ministry visited Gori. They met with the owners of the plots. People ask for 5 Lari in a square meter. The Defense ministry can pay only 2-2,50 lari. Nowadays the heads of the ministry are not in Tbilisi. As soon as they arrive, we will continue the negotiations with the owners. The rumors that we are leaving them without any compensation are a lie,“ declares Dzebniauri

Thea Tedliashvili, Gori