Subscribers Paid Bills and Electricity Still Cut-off

Hundreds of families have had their electricity supply cut off in the village of Ortabatumi in the Khelvachauri district. Included among these families are those who do not have any debts to “Energo-Pro Georgia”. These subscribers were cut off because common communal electricity meters were installed in the village and the whole section of the village was switched off. The families, who have no debts, now have to live without electricity and it has already been 20 days. Only last night the supply was reconnected, much to their delight.

“Why should we, people who always pay bills be forced to such a situation? I must have electricity because I always pay my bills,” said Zurab Beridze, a resident of Ortabatumi who paid the bill two weeks ago but his family still does not have electricity.

“Let them cut off those families who do not pay. I paid the bill,” said Suliko Beridze, a resident of the village.

The Human Rights Centre is concerned about the situation that these paying customers face and how they paid and still had their energy supply cut. Resolution # 9 of the Georgian National Energy Commission (dated by May 30 2007) states, “if the total amount of bills according to the common meter is not paid completely and on time, than the company has right to cut off individual subscribers who are connected to common meter, and also those who did not paid their bills.” In this particular case, the company switched off the electricity for a whole section of the village.

According to the law “Energo-Pro Georgia” does not have right to switch off the subscriber who pays the bills on time. According to the Article 9, Paragraph II the whole section can be switched off if “more than 50 % of subscribers in the section use the electricity through breaching the rules. The violation shall be confirmed by the corresponding administrative protocols and these are to be drawn up by the company’s representatives.” In this case, similar protocols were not drawn up at all, which is a violation of the company’s own procedures.

Maka Malakmadze, Batumi