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Karaleti Residents VS Illegal Constructions

September 30, 2009

Tea Tedliashvili, Gori

Residents of the Karaleti village protest the construction of the petrol station. Villagers have plots close to the area where the petrol station is being constructed. Although people do not have houses in those plots yet, they received them for the construction of houses in future.

The problem is not new; it appeared several years ago when trees from the wind-protecting line were cut along the motor-way during the government of former president Shevardnadze. Karaleti residents learned that petrol station was intended to be constructed next to their plots. The villagers protested cutting down of the trees and construction was postponed.

Years later, the workers appeared in the area and the construction started. Residents and authority of the village have no information about the ongoing activities because they do not know who the owner of the petrol station is; neither the permission was issued on the construction.

The Human Rights Center petitioned to the board of the Karaleti community based on the appeal of the villagers and requested to inform them about the conditions and price of the land where the wind-protecting line was previously located, the center also inquired whether the owner had permission on the construction. Mamuka Bazandarashvili, single mandate MP from Karaleti village, said that the government had not issued special permission on the construction.

Officials of the Gori municipality board stated they have not issued any permission and started to look for the document according to which certain “Robe” resident of the village of Rekha is constructing the petrol station close to the plots.

“I visited the place where the construction has started; the workers said they held the old permission and were working based on it. We have not issued any permission; though nobody showed us the old one either. We tried to meet the owner but in vain because the workers knew neither his name nor his telephone number. I only know that his name is Robe. I cannot understand how people can work on the construction without knowing the employer. To tell the truth we could not find out the surname of the person. We will appeal to the corresponding agencies to cease the construction. I personally checked whether the permission was issued on the construction. Representatives of the municipality board and district administration, as well as the Architecture Agency and Department of the Property Management told me they have not issued similar permission,” said Mamuka Bazandarashvili.

“We met the MP several times and requested him to stop the construction. Now he said the shop will be constructed instead the petrol station there. We will not allow anybody to build a shop either because it is illegal. Besides that, the owner cut the trees as if the land was his property. Let any of the institutions return the money to him what he had paid for the land but we will not allow him to build the shop there,” said Natela Tedlishvili, owner of one of the plots.

“We will go to Tbilisi and file complaints to corresponding structures; we will not allow anybody to build anything here,” said Sonia Imerlishvili, the owner of one of the plots.

Mamuka Bazandarashvili said in his interview with us that the workers have informed him about constructing the shop instead petrol station.

“Neither shop can be constructed here because it is not permitted. In fact that person does not hold any permission. Besides that he has cut down the trees in the wind-protecting line and it is illegal; we will protest it by all means,” said Bazandarashvili.

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