Tbilisi Mayor Talks about Structural Reforms & Future Projects

Tbilisi Mayor Kakha Kaladze discussed the structural and future projects planned, during a weekly city government meeting on December 26.

Kaladze announced that 35 families living in the Tskneti area will now legally own homes for a symbolic price.

“We’ve started working in this direction actively lately, giving families a possibility to own their homes for a symbolic price. These are the families that have been living in Tskneti for years and had no previous chance to legally own their homes,” Kaladze said. In the last month, this amounts to 132 families.

He went on to note that 19 previously existing commisions established by the local government have been cancelled, enabling Tbilisi Municipal services to work more effectively.

The Tbilisi Mayor also talked about the Orbeliani Square rehabilitation project, noting that a parking lot will be built on the territory, alongside pedestrian streets and the renovation of the buildings in the area.

“The project will cost approximately GEL 52 million and 2000 people will be employed. It’s very important for us that people that have been living there for many years feel comfortable and, most importantly, safe. The condition of the buildings there needs to be much better and, after the rehabilitation, this will be one of the best places in our city,” Kaladze said.

At the weekly meeting, the Mayor also talked about illegal constructions and stricter rules to be established for construction norms. He noted that 216 warnings had been issued in the last month by the municipal supervision agencies, related to construction safety violations and illegal constructions. Further, 500 illegal land constructions were identified, 270 of which submitted to legal actions.

Kaladze stressed that special vehicle-cleaning areas need to be established on construction sites to prevent said vehicles taking construction dirt beyond the site.

“Every construction site must have such areas and no construction permits should be issued without them,” the Mayor said.

Kakha Kaladze also talked about the upcoming New Year celebrations to be held in three different locations throughout the city: in Gldani, Varketili and Old Tbilisi, pointing out that public transport is to work free of charge on December 31.

Nino Gugunishvili