Population of the Village of Ortubani Has Not Had Electricity for 16 Years

Population of the village of Ortubanni in the Kareli District demands electricity. Only 21 families live there and most of them are Ossetian.

Human Rights Center’s Shida Kartli office received a letter from the villagers.

Leila Dzaritaeva, Nina Filiev, Zarina Filiev, Makvala Jagiev and Evrona Elbakidze complained about having no electricity. Since Communist regime nobody has supplied the village with electricity. Nona Demetrashvili, a resident of the village, pointed out that although large amount of money was allocated on their village to resolve the problem, nothing has changed yet.

“Our village is in mountainous region and winter is usually very severe here. In October the temperature significantly falls down, and we have to spend winter time in the town with our relatives. In February 2007, JSC “Energo Pro Georgia” installed electricity meters for every family in the village at the expense of the allocated money. Since we, the signers of the letter, did not live in the village in winter, meters were not installed in our houses. We have applied to Zviad Arkhozashvili, engineer for Kareli Electro Distribution Company, for help and he advised us to supply our district with electricity at our own expenses. We think that he discriminated us because we are Ossetian people; thus he violated our constitutional rights,” claimed residents of the village.

We got in touch with Arkhozashvili who said that new settlers arrive in the village and the company cannot afford to supply all of them.

Nevertheless, spokesmen of the Shida Kartli branch for “Energo Pro Georgia” claimed that everything is all right in the village of Ortubani. As for the remained five families they will supply them too.”

Giorgi Balakhashvili, (the head of the Press-Service Office): Shida Kartli Branch of the JSC “Energo-Pro Georgia” started preparatory works in the village of the Ortubani based on the applications received from villagers. In January 2007 contractor organization started to build transmitting system in the tree villages of the Kareli District; they are Ortubani, Krobani and Kdu. Three transforming stations, sixty posts were installed in the area. They finished the works in March of 2007 and after fifteen-year-long darkness population (80 families in total) was supplied with electricity.

It is worth to point out that except 45 subscribers from the village of Ortubani there are many abandoned houses in the village and it was impossible to supply those houses with electricity. On September 24, 2007 five families applied to the Kareli Service Center who demanded to supply them with electricity. Consequently, Shida Kartli Branch of the “Energo Promo Georgia” immediately started the preparatory works and till the end of the month those families will have electricity.”

Saba Tsitsikashvili, Gori