Road was blocked in Khidistavi with the request of gasification of the village

Lado Bitchashvili, Shida Kartli 

On June 26, population of the Khidistavi village in Gori municipality held protest demonstration because of installment of the natural gas pipes in the village. The locals were told the tubes were installed for the gasification of Ateni village and not for Khidistavi village, where those tubes are actually installed. 

Lali Tlashadze, resident of Khidistavi village: “The tubes are being installed just in front of my house and they come and say that I will get gas supply from that. We demand to fix this problem. Where our government members, who promised us that this year our village will be supplied with gas. Let them come and answer our questions.”

The single mandate MP from Gori Municipality Temur Khubulri and deputy municipality governor Gela Kapanadze met the participants of the demonstration. The locals asked them why they ignored the problems of Khidistavi population but the representatives of the government did not agree with them. 

„I will clarify everything and let us talk about the raised issue afterwards. I am not professional of this issue but as far as I know there is not enough pressure to supply Khidistavi village with gas. The pipes were installed for the gasification of Ateni village; as for Khidistavi, it should get gas supply from Uplistsikhe and Kvakhvreli villages. We have started working on the project,” MP Temur Khubuluri said.

Ateni is native village of Gori municipality governor Davit Oniashvili. Part of the locals say the priority was given to this village because of this factor. Deputy municipality governor Gela Kapanadze categorically excluded the possibility of such selective approach and said the local authority and district administration has no connection with the gasification project and it is done by the Socar Georgia based on the contract with the Ministry of Energy. 

The Khidistavi residents stopped protest for a while, because the representatives of the local government asked them several days to find out the situation. Unless the gasification of Khidistavi village starts this year, the locals promise to renew the protest.