Trip from Vedzatkhevi to Tbilisi – Rallies in front of Ministry of Accommodations

Information Center of Mtskheta-Mtianeti

Residents of Vedzatkhevi village in Dusheti district intend to live on the stairs of the Ministry of IDPs from Occupied Territories, Refugees and Accommodation of Georgia in protest. The local people request the Ministry to resettle them from the risky zones in near future.

Vedzatkhevi is 12 kilometers away from Dusheti. It has turned into landslide zone for 6 years already. In 2008 specialists concluded that life was dangerous in the village but the Ministry of Accommodation does not pay attention to Vedzatkhevi residents. 11 families in the village are isolated from the environment during months every year; three people died because of unbearable conditions.

In 2010 a young man of 22 died in the village. “He had toothache in the evening. There was no road to the village and ambulance could not arrive. We found him dead in the morning,” Nino Kapiashvili from Vedzatkhevi village said.

In September of 2011villagers took pregnant Tamuna Prodiashvili on their backs to the neighboring village where an ambulance was waiting for her to take her to hospital to give birth to the child. Unfortunately the infant died.

On May 21, 2012 Garsevan Gogochuri, 24, died in Vedzatkhetvi. The locals said there is no way to reach the village and they cross river instead. “He was in the neighboring village and on his way back he had to cross the river; the river was flooded and he drowned. We were looking for his body during 3 days; finally the water pushed him on the embankment,” Tamar Inashvili said.

Landslide destroyed the road to the village. There is two kilometers to the neighboring village Dudaurebi where the road stops. The path goes through the forest and river. Four out of seven children living in the village go to school in the neighboring village because there is no school in Vedzatkhevi village; landslide destroyed it. In order to assist other children to learn reading and writing, social agency restricted the parents’ rights and involved children in the state program. “I dream my child grew up with me but he must learn reading and writing. So, we had to allow them to restrict our rights and take our children away,” residents of Vedzatkhevi village said.

The population requests the ministry to show the houses where they can be resettled. The Ministry representatives claim they cannot organize an excursion for Vedzatkhevi residents.