IDPs living Akhaltsikhe wait for registration of their flats

Gulo Kokhodze, Akhaltsikhe

IDPs residing in Akhaltsikhe can only hope for better times. They have become accustomed to never-ending disappointment. They have attempted to solve some of their problems by appealing to the Akhaltsikhe Municipality Council for the purpose but it makes little difference in their lives. They find themselves holding the short end of the stick.

Twelve IDP families live in Akhaltsikhe and four of them are living the building of boarding school. The other eight families live in the building of former nursery school in Grigol Khandzteli Street. According to the contract they had a right to live there until 2008. Although IDP families do not have right to stay in the nursery school they hope they will have their accommodations registered in near future. Their hope is based on the statement of the Georgian President, Mikheil Saakashvili.

On November 28 2007, Mikheil Saakashvili, being a presidential candidate, stated that the IDPs would have their accommodations registered. On that day he introduced Koba Subeliani, a new Georgia Minister of Refugees and Accommodation to the IDPs from Abkhazia in Tbilisi City Hall.

Mikheil Saakashvili stated that every IDP will meet New 2009 Year in living in their own houses and announced the initiative of the proper Georgian authority. “Within a week all buildings compactly inhabited by IDPs will be registered. The areas which are state properties but inhabited by IDPs will be assigned to the internally displaced people.”

Several days later, the IDPs from Akhaltsikhe applied to the Akhaltsikhe Municipality Council with the request to register their accommodations.

Fifty-nine-year-old Avtandil Lomidze, an IDP from Abkhazia, worked in Abkhazian law enforcement bodies for many years; he was the major in the police department. Having fled from Abkhazia he lived thirteen years in the building of Vocational College where the Prosecutor’s Office has now located.  Two years ago the IDPs received 2,000 GEL as compensations from the government. They used the money to repair the building of the nursery school. The accommodations in the nursery schools are enough for each family. However, in spite of the statement of the president and all their hard work they might find themselves homeless again.”

“We do not know what our future is. We should know what our property is at least fifteen years later,” asked Avtandil Lomidze.

IDPs residing in Akhaltsikhe hope of having their accommodations registered based on spread information. Reportedly, registration process of the accommodations of the IDPs living in Tbilisi has already started.

Vazha Chitashvili, the Akhaltiskhe District Governor, said that the IDPs in Akhaltsikhe will not remain homeless, “Their contracts will be prolonged until we are able to offer them better living conditions. However, we cannot speak about the registration at this time.”

Gela Tavadze, the head of the Department of IDP Registration and Social Issues within the Ministry of Refugees and Accommodation, defined that the draft law on the registration of the accommodations on IDPs is being discussed in the Georgian Parliament. After it is enacted, the Ministry of Economics will be charged to lead up the registration process. “The accommodation will be registered based on the appeal the IDPs will submit to local authorities. However, the proceeding is hindered until the draft law is enacted.”

All IDPs waits for the registration of their accommodations. Meanwhile they face various problems in their lives and all share the same hopes and expectations for the future.

“I now live in Aspindza but  I always am dreaming of being able to return to Abkhazia,” said Tsiuri Babluani, an IDP from Abkhazia. She was a teacher of the Public School in the village of Merkheuli in Gulrifshi District. She remains unemployed and it is difficult for not only IDPs to find real jobs.

Avtandil Lomidze also hopes that soon he will return to Abkhazia along with his three children and five grandchildren.