“People Remember One Thing – Forget Living in Luxury!...” Deputy Minister Suggested IDPs

Saba Tsitsikashvili, Gori

MP from Liakhvi Valley Badri Basishvili went to the Ukraine together with several team-mates. In parallel to it, the people, who voted for Basishvili live in darkness and cold now. Only police control the IDPs living in cottages. Shida Kartli regional governor Lado Vardzelashvili does not visit the settlements either. Part of IDPs thinks to recognize the government of Kokoity and return to their houses.

“On January 13, officers of special unit at the Khurvaleti checkpoint did not allow us into our cottages after the population crossed the checkpoint and blocked central motor way on January 11,” said the IDPs.

Government of Georgia failed to foresee one thing while constructing cottages alongside the central motorway – IDPs from those cottages can block the motorway every time they need it. They already use this opportunity. Cutting of electricity supply for IDPs had its consequences. The government is not going to pay the bills of IDPs.

In fact, the government is not going to find out whether IDPs really used the prescribed amount of electricity. The bills distributed in the cottages as New Year presents state that one family used electricity for 537 GEL, another family wasted 741 GEL, the third – 342 GEL, etc. According to bills these are figures for one month. However, representative of energy-distribution company Gia Balakhashvili clarifies that the sum was accumulated for three months.

Shida Kartli regional officials have not appeared at any of the protest rallies of the IDPs. Neither regional governor Vardzelashvili, nor his deputy Badri Nanetashvili got interested in the fate of IDPs. At the end of the day Gori district governor Davit Khmiadashvili arrived at the place of protest rally in Khurvaleti when everything calmed down.

“People, please remember one thing – you should forget life in luxury!...you should pay your electricity bills,” suggested deputy minister of refugees and accommodation Andro Chulukhadze to the IDPs settled in Khurvaleti when police was trying to clean the blocked motorway.

On January 11, Andro Chulukhadze met astonished IDPs initially in Karaleti village and several hours later in Khurvaleti. On one day Tbilisi-Gori motor-way was blocked in two places. Police and officials of Eredvi-Kurta community council, whom villagers call Zonder-Brigades, dispersed the protest rally.

Rezo Kakhniashvili, assistant to the single mandate candidate from Liakhvi valley, disliked the form of protest of Khurvaleti residents. “Do not raise your voice when I am speaking with you! Since a journalist is here, do not think that you will scare me; I am not afraid of Saba at all,” Rezo Kakhniashvili raised his voice and told the settler in Khurvaleti Marine Bezhashvili: “You are sitting in the darkness because you are shouting so much.”

Rezo Kakhniashvili arrived at the place together with his fellow neighbors and a person known with name of “Gagi” tried to calm down the population.

The IDPs are afraid that because of protest rally the government will punish them. The Human Rights Center took photos of everybody who supported the police to disperse the rally.

“I know you all. You are IDPs like we are. We were grown up on the same land. You should understand our sorrow most of all. My parents have serious health problems and I cannot buy even medicines for them. I do not have fire wood to heat house; I do not have electricity and what shall I do? They have defeated and subdued us!” said IDP from Patara Liakhvi Valley Besarion Korinteli.

Elderly brothers Utnelishvilis also joined the protest rally in Khurvaleti. One of them was asking the car-drivers to stop cars and join them in their request. One of the car-drivers got out of the car (we took a photo of him) and cursed the old IDP woman; after the road was free, the driver thanked to the patrol police. “Thank you to patrol police!”

The brother Utnelishvilis are from the village of Ksuisi in Patara Liakhvi Valley. They were from noble family and the title was granted to them by King Giorgi V.

“Do you know what a property we have left there? We had huge property and land there which we have purchased with our hard work after soviet regime collapsed. Today I am standing here as a beggar. We are urging to the government to pay our electricity bills but they do not do it,” said one of the brothers.

On January 13, representation of the Electricity Distribution Company Energo-Pro Georgia spread information: “Energo-Pro Georgia re-supplied the part of IDPs with electricity who paid their electricity bills. Those subscribers, who paid initial sums for their accumulated debts, also had electricity re-supplied. At the moment, the village of Skra is completely supplied with electricity. Several subscribers are cut off for over-used electricity in the settlements of Berbuki and Khurvaleti. Karaleti settlement is not supplied with electricity either. We will cut off electricity supply in the settlements in Verkhvebi, Panatsea and Shavshvebi.”

Today, the dark cottages are lit only by street light-posts. Each family in Skra settlement paid initial 20 GEL; the rest of debt was divided into three months. IDPs will have to pay the debt themselves while they get only 28 GEL as state allowance.