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Mountainous Village Ziari May Get Deserted

July 2, 2016
 
Lela Khechoshvili, Kakheti

In accordance to the Law of Georgia on the Development of High Mountainous Regions, 1582 settlements in Georgia received status of the mountainous zone. Among them was Ziari village, in Gurjaani district. According to the 2002 census in Georgia, 75 persons lived in the village. Nowadays, up to 30 people live there. As locals say the migration process started after the school was closed in the village.

Locals reported that almost everybody in their village received the status of mountainous zone resident which grants some priorities to them. 

There is no school, medical unit and grocery in the village. The locals have to travel 7 kilometers to Gurjaani to buy products. Public transport does not travel to the village either.

The only road linking the village with the outside world gets blocked in winter for several months because vehicles cannot drive up the slippery road. It is impossible to reach the village until April but in emergency situations the locals walk down and up across the forest. Villagers ask for natural gas supply, which has already reached the nearby village of Kodalo. 

The locals said about 15 families have been unable to register the houses for several years. Unless they get registration, the properties will be sold on the auction. 
“The houses, where we live now, were constructed for the people working on the constructions in Kodalo village; however the building company closed and the houses were left without owners. In the past I lived in the municipality center; my child had health problems and the doctor suggested me to move to the mountainous region. So, I asked the chief engineer of the building company Vano Tsiklauri to give the house to me and he allowed me to live in one of them. The government promised to register the houses on us but it was not done yet. They say the houses will be sold on the auction. I cannot pay anything for the house; my husband and I are disabled persons over 80. Besides that, several years ago the roof of the house burnt and I took a bank loan to repair it; I still pay this debt,” Venera Giligashvili said.

She said three houses have legal owners but the others are refused to register the properties. As Ziari residents say they used to petition to all new governments but all in vain.

“In 2014, then prime-minister Irakli Garibashvili visited Kodalo village; we met him and explained our problems; he ordered Kakheti regional governor Irakli Shiolashvili to address our problem but nobody paid attention to us.

“District governor Gia Gergidze promised to resolve our problem in a week’s time and register the houses for symbolic price of 1 GEL. However, more than two months have passed and nothing was done yet,” Ziari village residents said.

Gurjaani district governor Gia Gergidze told humanrights.ge that the Cabinet of Ministers will discuss the issue of the villagers. “We have sent all their documents to the Ministry and expect positive feedback from them.”

Gergidze said it is not planned to supply Ziari and Pkhoveli villages with gas so far because currently they work on the gasification of bigger villages. When they finish with them, the gas distribution company SOCAR may start working in other villages too.

The population of the mountainous zone villages will enjoy some benefits. The state will pay 100 GEL for the first and second child every month throughout one year; 200 GEL for the third and more children during two years. Physical persons will be free from income and property taxes; entrepreneur will also be free from income tax payment; retired people and socially indigent people will receive 20 % more pensions and allowances.

However, regardless the aforementioned benefits, the villagers do not exclude possibility that Ziari village will get deserted because of current problems in it. 

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