Manon Bokuchava, Kvemo Kartli
As a result of the municipal elections there are 4 members from the opposition parties and 21 from the National Movement in the Rustavi city council. 20 minutes after the first session started, the electricity went off in the building of City Hall. “More Has to Be Done” – stated the members of the city council from the ruling party. However, the municipal elections have not brought anything new in the government of Rustavi city. The city council elected the same city mayor – Mamuka Chikovani and Kakha Gurgenidze remained in his old position - chairman of the city council.
4 women are in the new city council of Rustavi. They received flowers from the Kvemo Kartli regional governor Davit Kirkitadze. Our former respondent – member of the new city council Mamuka Abuladze - was in perfect mood; before elections he suggested us not to publish negative information about him. “We have huuuuuge results,” said Abuladze in western Georgian accent.
If not lack of electricity, everything could finish in funfair. “I am not superstitious and I do not think the incident about electricity at the first session can be a sign of a bad future. The reason was construction of roads. Our priorities are to resolve many problems of Rustavi dwellers. First of all we should increase employment in the city,” said old and new mayor of Rustavi Mamuka Chikovani.
After the meeting finished we met Nina Berelidze at the stairs of the city hall. She asked us to get interested in the unbearable living conditions of her neighbor. She
wanted to invite the members of the new city council to her neighbor but instead local officials the Human Rights Center visited her neighbor Rostom Maghradze.
“This man has been living in these conditions for 15 years already. Besides neighbors nobody assists him. If we do not give him food in turn, he will die of starvation. He is 50-year-old good man,” said the neighbor of Maghradze Maia Batsanidze.
Neighbors said they have petitioned to the City Hall several times but nobody has ever assisted their neighbor. Rostom Maghradze lives in the former dormitory in Batumi Street # 19. We can enter Maghradze’s room on the ground floor of the building, which does not have floor. The door is not hanging on the frame; maybe it was removed from other room and the man uses it as a door. He has made bed of broken chairs and half-burnt duvets. The room is divided by plastic bottles. Torn cloths are stretched on the window-frames instead glass.
“I have been living in Rustavi since 1966. Initially I worked at the chemical
factory; then at the metallurgic factory. They sent the workers of the metallurgic factory here to settle and I remained here. Now I have neither job nor documents (somebody stole them). My neighbors assist me. I ask the authority of the city to help me. I also want to feel myself as a man,” said Rostom Maghradze.
The residents of the Batumi Street # 19 complain about the damaged building. They intend to apply to the new city council about common toilet and poor sewerage system. The people said the new council members will have to reconstruct their residential building and to assist Rostom Maghradze.
With the municipal elections Rustavi maintained old bureaucracy. The members of the National Movement, who know the problems of Rustavi dwellers, will need their last slogan “More Has to Be Done” during the next election campaign. However, it is interesting whether the new council members will find time to attend to the abovementioned problems.
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