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IDPs from Abkhazia vs. “Energy-Pro Georgia”

December 5, 2008

Nana Pazhava, Zugdidi

IDPs compactly residing in Zugdidi Nursery School # 10, House of Railway Workers and so-called Do-Restaurant have not been supplied with electricity for 6 months already. The main reason for the cutoff is said to be unpaid arrears on their electricity bills.  However it is unclear why the “Energy-Pro Georgia” is expecting IDPs to pay the debts because the Ministry of Refugees and Accommodation pay the electricity bills for them. Regional service center of IDPs states that electricity supply was cut of because the IDPs had changed their place of accommodation. If not, these people would have otherwise had no debts. 

Mimoza Gamakharia, an IDP, is hanging clothes of her grandchildren on the rope stretched between two trees in the yard of Zugdidi Nursery School # 10. Her black clothes have wax spots on. The old woman is scolding herself in every minute and continues to hang clothes on the rope: “Why a bullet of Abkhazian did not kill me? Why was not I killed in Ochamchire? I would rather have been shot then dying slowly in such terrible living conditions?!” Mimoza Gamakharia does not forget “Energy-Pro Georgia” and curses them.

Mimoza Gamakharia, an IDP: “How could they mix up the address? How could not they find us as we, 30 people, have been living here for 15 years? Do they have look for us now? Let “Energy-Pro Georgia” supply with electricity and then let them explain to us where they spend our money allocated by the government. We have been sitting in dark for six months already. There are seven members in my family and we have to buy candle for 1, 5 GEL a day. How can I get that money? We hardly purchased fire-wood and we add nut shells to make the wood last as long as possible.  We are able to also warm the washing water in this way….”

The communal meter, which distributed electricity to the nursery school, former house of railway workers and so-called Do-Restaurant, is installed in the same yard as these three building. Any person can just pull down the handle and the electricity will be turned on. But nobody can dare it because they would face serious problems after that. The IDPs dared to do it only on August 8 when war operations started in the country and occupation army entered Zugdidi,  However, one and half month later,  “Energy-Pro Georgia” switched off the electricity again.

Zugdidi Nursery School # 10 remained without electricity where nearly 150 children study. The director found resolution of the problem of dark summer in autumn.

Maka Kvirikvia, director of the nursery school: “I cannot say that we are depended on the electricity because the nursery school is supplied with liquid gas and fire-wood. We had problem in the summer when we kept food in the fridges of neighborhing families. We had unbearable situation but survived It is necessary to light rooms in winter so we will install individual meter in 2-3 days and would not be dependent on others. However, I should point out that since IDPs settled here we used their electricity.”

IDP family of Vekuas from Ochamchire is renting a flat in the former house of railway workers. They lived in the building of the nursery schools for many years but since the number of school children increased they had to leave the building. This family spent 6 months without electricity tool.

Maka Vekua, an IDP: “We received an electricity bill from the “Energy-Pro Georgia” where our total debt is 6,428 GEL. However, we cannot understand how we accumulated such a large sum. When we received new IDP cards our current address was indicated there: Kobuleti str. # 33. Although they officials from the governmental agency told us our address made no difference, now it turned out to have; because the state funds apportioned on our assistance should be transferred on concrete address. We found out in the data base that 135 IDPs were still registered on the old address.”

As a result of these changes, the IDPs residing in the shelters in Zugdidi have faced this problem, and the buildings where they live belong to the state.    IDPs state that registration of internally displace people that started early in December of 2007 resulted into changing the addresses and shelters. These changes were connected with the presidential and parliamentary elections of 2008. The official reason for this registration was to create better data base of IDPs. Nonetheless, according to one version, it was designed to help in the rigging of the elections. Thus, Czech Company “Energy-Pro Georgia” might have failed to envisage the “long-sighted step” of the Georgian authority in time and this resulted in the current “misunderstanding”.

According to the Human Rights Center, based on this plan a candidate from the ruling party or the party itself could get several more votes. It is evident that IDPs would have gone to those precincts where they lived but with new IDP cards and changed addresses the authority could use their votes in other polling stations too. It really happened so, and the election “carousel” worked successfully – and IDPs were able to get their votes counted several times, willing or unwillingly.

Consequently, the electricity distribution company did not envisage the political will and complicated electricity supply for IDPs. According to the Human Rights Center the board of Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti and Adjara Regional Department of the Ministry of Refugees and Accommodation petitioned to the “Energy-Pro Georgia” with the request to renew the supply of IDPs several times; unfortunately, their petitions did not have any result. Finally, the company demanded special petition from the Ministry and the latter soon sent a petition of 200 pages. Despite all these efforts, IDPs are still not being supplied with the electricity.

Regional Department of IDP Registration does not deny that they have made mistakes while registering IDPs in data base. However, they claim that the ministry will manage to correct those mistakes within several days. The department does not make official comments against the “Energy-Pro Georgia” but the Human Rights Center was reported that the governmental agency is gathering evidence against the company. The Ministry of Refugees and Accommodation might sue the “Energy-Pro Georgia” at the court.

Levan Mikava, the head of the Regional Department of IDP Registration: “”Energy-Pro Georgia creates problems for us; but they cannot make us pay extra taxes. We have gained good experience in similar disagreements. The IDPs have no debts. The Ministry made mistakes during the registration but the funds were really allocated for the reimbursement of electricity bills. As soon as the registration is arranged properly the sums will be transferred on real addresses of the IDPs and the electricity supply will be renewed as well.”

State Budget allocated 12, 58 GEL for IDPs to cover communal and electricity bills in the shelters where they are compactly residing.

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