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The Customers of “EnergoProGeorgia” in Zugdidi Protest Against Unfair Debts

October 16, 2007

Tsereteli Street dwellers protested near the Zugdidi Service Centre of “EnergoProGeorgia.” They refuse to pay off the bills which appeared approximately 2 months ago on their communal electricity meter. The customers blame the representatives of “EnergoProGeorgia” for ignoring their demands.

As the participants of the protest explained the debt, which amount GEL 700, appeared after an accident happened on July 1, 2007. One of the customers, Marina Lashkhia said that a car of the RAPH type (this is a Soviet style van) crashed into an electricity pole which damaged it and tore the electrical wires. In accordance to the statement of an eye-witness the electrical wires caught on fire causing the meter to rotate faster. The patrolling police arrived at the scene of the accident and they started to investigate the cause of the accident. The same day the local population appealed to the Zugdidi Service Centre of “EnergoProGeorgia” and asked them to check the communal electricity meters.

As it turned out, the written complaint made by the local population was lost.

Irma Todua: “On the basis of our statement the technical manager of “EnergoProGeorgia” was obligated to make sure the damage to the wires was repaired and check the functioning of the meters. We are sure that the accident temporarily caused the fast rotation of the meters and then the meters returned to functioning normally again. The representatives of “EnergoProGeorgia” came to the scene of the accident but they did not execute a technical investigation of the electricity meters.”

The local population restored the electricity pole and electrical wires themselves. They paid GEL 150 for it. 20 Customers of communal meters have already begun to pay off their bill, but 25 customers refused to pay the additional GEL 18.

Maia Daraselia: “The person causing the accident should be responsible for paying the higher electricity bill, but he does not appear anywhere. We are not receiving any government support and cannot pay that extra sum of money.”

“EnergoProGeorgia” stopped providing electricity to the Tsereteli Street dwellers 4 days ago. The manager of the Zugdidi Service Centre of “EnergoProGeorgia”, Otar Bochorishvili, is refusing to restore the provision of electricity until the debts have been paid off completely. “We have only received a verbal complaint from the local population. We responded to it. After inspection, all meters turned out to be functioning properly. The statement made by the customers that the power was turned off is totally without merit.”

The participants of the protest have complained to the Zugdidi Service Centre of “EnergoProGeorgia” again.

Nana Pazhava, Zugdidi.

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