BeyondTbilisi.ge

All 6 former teachers at different schools in Sachkhere municipality, who believe they were fired on political grounds, lost their appeal in the first instance court. According to Georgian Young Lawyer’s Association, teachers were involved in collection of signatures for restoration of Bidzina Ivanishvili’s citizenship. In addition, the teachers did not comply with their school administrations' request to remove Georgian Dream logos from their Facebook pages. GYLA states that only a small part of the total number of dismissed teachers chooses to seek legal help from them. None of the mentioned 6 teachers is planning to appeal their cases.

Chairman of Akhmeta municipality City Council, Aleqsi Mailashvili, threatened Georgian Dream supporters in village of Kistauri. Kakheti Information Center was informed about this by Zakaria Kinkladze, manager of Georgian Dream office in Akhmeta. Kinkladze states that soon after Georgian Dream representatives met with Kistauri inhabitants City Council chairman arrived to the village, took away distributed newspapers and invitations, and threatened the locals. Aleqsi Mailashvili refuses to comment on the issue.

Head of Center for Environmental Law Nikoloz Mzhavanadze states that despite the fact that there is no plan or a permit allowing construction of a cycling route in Zugdidi Botanical Garden, trees are already being cut down. Construction works are conducted by “Anaklia-Ganmukhuri Resort”, who, according to Mzhavanadze, have not asked anyone about starting the project. It turns out that National Agency for Cultural Heritage Preservation, which is supposed to issue a permit, has no information about this project. Mzhavanadze adds that workers have no appropriate knowledge or qualification to identify trees that are in the Red Book.

Three weeks ago some houses on Cholokashvili and Nadikviri streets in Telavi had their roofs removed as part of the town’s renovation project. They remain uncovered till today. Some of the inhabitants state that roofs were removed without their consent, which resulted in rain considerably damaging their houses. Telavi renovation is a 50 million USD project started in March 2012, and partly financed by World Bank.

According to Levan Gamsakhurdia, the Deputy Governor of Kakheti, the flooding was expected and the Municipality Development Fund together with construction companies who won the tender are going to fulfill their responsibility to repair the damages. Kakheti Information Center reminds readers, however, that several Sighnaghi residents who found themselves in a similar situation in 2007 could not get compensation for damages till 2011, and no one has restored their houses.

The director of Channel 9 - Kakha Bekauri states that the broadcaster is not able to rent offices in Kakheti because of pressure on landlords carried out by the regional administration. This is confirmed by one office space owner, who says that after negotiations with Channel 9 he was contacted by an employee of Department of Constitutional Security Kakheti Division - Shalva Imerlishvili, and threatened into not renting the place. Imerlishvili himself refuses to comment on the issue. Kakheti Governor's First Deputy - Giorgi Sibashvili denies accusations and says that if they wanted to create problems for the Channel 9 they would interfere with openings of Georgian Dream offices as well.

President’s security guards entered Shida Kartli Information Center’s Office and demanded the journalists to stop filming the ongoing police parade on Gori main square, which could be easily observed from the office balcony. The Security guards claimed that the Information Center needed a special permit from the police press service to film the parade.

Population of Poti was mobilized by government services for the President’s visit. According to Tspress.ge, apart from verbal encouragement to attend the event several citizens were controlling the attendance with printed out lists. The preparation of people to welcome the President started a day before and included teachers, pupils, their parents, employees of shipyard, railway and other private and state organizations.

Farmers in several Gori district villages who used bank loans to cultivate cabbage were unable to sell any of their harvest due to low priced cabbage imported from Iran and Turkey. Tons of cabbage spoiled in storage areas as a result. Farmers say that in addition to not being able to pay their debts, now they have to come up with additional money to dispose of all the rotten cabbages.

Irakli Vachiberidze, a journalist at a local Kutaisi newspaper “PS”, claims he was physically abused by National Movement security guards after he managed to sneak into a closed meeting between the President and ruling party representatives on May 2nd. According to Vachiberidze, he managed to sneak in by pretending to be a party member. After the security guards noticed him taking pictures, however, he was physically and verbally abused and made erase all the material. Vachiberidze also says that the next day he managed to sneak into yet another closed party meeting, this time with Vano Merabishvili, using the same method, where he was also physically abused.

Gurjaani population reports that some households have incorrectly increased number of registered members, which results in considerably larger monthly bills on water. The locals have been dealing with this problem for more than a year. Gurjaanians also think that inaccuracies with correct number of household members serves the purpose of forging elections. United Water Supply Company of Georgia directs all complaining customers with the above-mentioned problem to the Civil Registry.