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Shida Kartli Population Request Employment from Azerbaijan Company

July 7, 2009

Saba Tsitsikashvili, Gori

After the war in August of 2008 Georgia received large amount of money as assistance. Most part of it was spent on the reconstruction of roads. The central high-way and inside roads will be reconstructed. Recently, local population has been particularly discontent about the construction activities in Sveneti-Ruisi central high-way. People request employment in the construction works.

Representatives of the Shida Kartli organization of the Political Movement for Just Georgia stated in their conversation with the Human Rights Center that Azerbaijan Company is not going to hire local residents.

“According to our information, Azerbaijan Company “Accord Georgia” won competition for the construction of Sveneti-Ruisi central high-way. The board and workers of the company are residents of Gardabani, Marneuli and Bolnisi districts. Consequently, the needs of local population are neglected. Villagers request employment at the construction activities. Residents of Gardabani and Marneuli districts have priorities to get employed. Of course, we do not say that people from Gardabani or Bolnisi should not work, but employment of local residents should be a priority,” said representatives of the Just Georgia.

Construction of Tbilisi-Senaki-Leselidze concrete high-way in the territory of Gori district will start in near future. The project was presented on June 29 in Gori.

Officials of Gori municipality board and councilors of the villages of Berbuki, Tiniskhidi, Karaleti and Mejvriskhevi attended the presentation. The new central high-way will run through those villages. The councilors raised the question of employment in the project, though no concrete promises were done.

Soso Bezhanishvili, head of Berbuki Community, said only officials from Road Department attended the meeting and they could not give any concrete replies to their request on employment. “The meeting was very superficial and they did not reply to our concrete questions. We explained to them that employment of local population would be very much appreciated but since the representatives of the Company did not attend the meeting, nobody could answer us.”

Zviad Berianidze, head of Karaleti village, said he had delivered a list of five people to the representatives of the Road Department.” I gave a list to them and we will be very happy if they hire those people. They told me the construction activities planned in our village did not require many people. I cannot say whether I should hope that these people will be hired. The Azerbaijan Company is entitled to make decisions on employment of people. I do not know their decision yet,” said Berianidze.

According to the representatives of the Georgian Road Department, Project Company “Koks-Consulting” and their local partner “BT Ltd” the Sveneti-Ruisi central high-way is 15-kilometers long and it is the most difficult part of the entire high-way because several bridges and key-passes are in this area. Besides that, 830-meter-long tunnel shall be constructed in the territory that will be an alternative road for the road through Ruisi Pass.

Azerbaijan Company “Accord” will carry out the construction activities in Sveneti-Ruisi central high-way and Italian Company “Todin” will finish the construction in 2012.

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