Kaladze Urges Banking Sector to be Involved in Green City Projects

Tbilisi Mayor Kakha Kaladze met with the heads of commercial banks yesterday and proposed opportunities to cooperate in implementing projects planned within the framework of the Green City Hall initiative.

Kaladze talked about the events planned within the initiative, which aims to improve ecological conditions in the city. The bank representatives offered their full support for City Hall's projects and expressed their readiness to actively cooperate to tackle environmental challenges.

Kaladze explained, "With the central government, along with the Prime Minister, we have had a presentation on the green policy of the city on what projects should be implemented to change the ecological situation in the country and especially in the capital. In this direction, City Hall plans to implement a number of projects - the regulation of public transport, rehabilitation of green spaces, relevant regulations in the construction sector. One of our most important directions is transportation policy. By the end of 2019, the existing fleet will be replaced by new, ecologically clean buses, which will operate on electric, gas, and diesel with Euro 6 engines. From 2020, we are going to add 200 18-meter electric buses. The struggle to united efforts to address problems will give us the opportunity to solve the existing ecological situation in the city."

The mayor also emphasized the importance of support from banks in the direction of implementation of various projects.

"Bank representatives welcome our policies and decisions - they express their readiness to implement various projects in the capital. We have heard from them that they are planning to replace their corporate vehicle fleet with electric and hybrid cars...City Hall will offer them some advantages - parking in the city will be free for electric cars. Also, we will install chargers. Implementing all these measures will help gradually improve the ecological situation," said Kaladze.

The banking sector representatives present at the meeting agreed that, as a green policy priority, the city's automobiles should be replaced in the nearest future by electric cars and hybrid cars, and agreed to encourage their staff to move in this direction.

Tbilisi Vice-Mayor Irakli Khmaladze and Deputy Mayor Maia Bitadze also attended the meeting.

By Samantha Guthrie

Photo: Tbilisi City Hall