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Part of Tusheti Population Request Seperation from Akhmeta District

February 6, 2014
 
Nino Gvaridzishvili, Kakheti

Part of Tusheti region population is discontent with the work of Akhmeta district local self-governmental bodies and request establishment of their separate entity. Discontent part of the population is represented by the association Sheep-Breeder from Tusheti and Zurab Murtazashvili is leader of the organization. They say interests of local people are completely neglected. For that reason, they request separation from Akhmeta district and establishment of independent entity. Information Center of Kakheti spread information about it.

“Local government did not keep its promises and did not implement any projects to improve social-economic and ecological conditions in Tusheti. They fully forgot Resolution # 978 of the President of Georgia issued on September 4, 2000, according to which the government of Georgia had to purposefully spend grant of 3, 2 million USD allocated for the creation of protected territories in the country. The project agreed with the Global Environmental Fund and World Bank was also canceled; it aimed to improve infrastructure in Tusheti region,” Murtazashvili said.

Sheep-breeders have seasonal income and it is directly linked with the price of wool, lamb and sheep. Zurab Murtazashvili said, one of the reasons for their protest is disproportionally increased lease payment. “Based on the December 8, 2011 resolution, sheep-owners have to pay 25 lari for 1 hectare of pasture and 10 lari as an income tax that compels them to quit their general occupation. It is also noteworthy that main reason of their discontent is poor infrastructure – there are no roads, no electricity supply, no water-pipes and water-supply, no sewerage system and gas in the region.”  
 
The statement spread by the Association Sheep-Breeder from Tusheti reads that neither central budget resolves their problems nor the local budget, where they pay income tax.

Representatives of the Akhmeta district administration do not agree with their complaints. Humanrights.ge asked Akhmeta district interim governor Beka Baidauri to comment on the issue. “First of all, I would like to underline that Tusheti region population has not requested separation, but only several people want it. To tell the truth I cannot understand what they request because their accusations are groundless. Last year, we spent almost one million lari on the resolution of problems in Tusheti. The most funds are allocated for Tusheti region because our municipality is fully aware of the particular importance of this part of the country.” 

Association Sheep-Breeder from Tusheti and its representative Zurab Murtazashvili have already petitioned to the government of Georgia, Chairman of the Parliament and other state institutions. Head of public relation department at the Akhmeta district administration Natia Kinkladze said they have not seen the aforementioned petition and do not know how many people have signed it. She noted that Article 11 Paragraph 3 of the Organic Law of Georgia on Local Self-Governance regulates establishment of new self-governmental units. According to the law, Government of Georgia appeals to the parliament of Georgia to either create or abolish self-governmental unit based on its own initiative or based on the consultations with the municipal board or population, or based on the petition of the local municipal board. “I think the petitioners would rather have submitted the letter first to the local self-governmental body,” Natia Kinkladze said.
 
We interviewed a member of the Association Sheep-Breeder from Tusheti Soso Babulaidze and asked how many people request creation of separate self-governmental unit in Tusheti. He said the district administration makes a serious mistake when they doubt about the number of signatories and the problem in general. The initiative group of ten members drafted the petition and handed to the relevant bodies. “We did not need collection of signatures at the initial stage because we did not submit the draft-law to the parliament of Georgia; it is just open letter, which was prepared by Mr. Zurab,” Babulaidze said and added that when relevant institutions pay attention to their problem and start working on the separation of Tusheti region from Akhmeta district, more than 90% of local population will support their idea. “It is not desire of only ten people; it is the desire of entire population of Tusheti that should be implemented by all means.”

Tamaz Macharauli, resident of Sagarejo district, who is originally from Tusheti, thinks it is not important for him whether Tusheti will be separate self-governmental unit or not because it will not resolve real problems there. The biggest problem is that population abandons mountainous regions and government of Georgia shall pay more attention to their requirements and problems, reduce taxes and should not artificially burden their already difficult living conditions.  

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