Tbilisi starts the project "One thousand kiosks"

The new project "One thousand kiosks" was launched by the Tbilisi Mayoralty with the aim to promote small and medium businesses. According to the project, newspaper kiosks in the capital of Georgia will increase in number, and old and ugly ones will be replaced by new and modern kiosks.

As reported in a special statement of the Mayoralty, "earlier 250 permits on installation of kiosks were issued in Tbilisi; and today a thousand of places have been allocated."

"The aim of the city authorities is to provide all the interested persons with equal condition. Any individual or legal entity, who or which already has a permitted kiosk, may continue using the old kiosk till the end of the agreement," said an employee of the Mayoralty.

The Mayoralty asserts that there are no restrictions to participate in the auction. "Those who want it will be able to put for sale – along with the press – any other goods in their kiosks, as it was before," said the source, adding that "because of this, newspaper kiosks become more competitive."

The new initiative of the Mayoralty was negatively perceived by oppositional parties. In particular, members of the Christian-Democratic faction in the Tbilisi Sakrebulo (City Council) said that with the introduction of the new project, the market for press dissemination will only worsen.

Christian-Democrats demand that the Mayoralty transfers 100 kiosks to press distributors. Otherwise, according to the opposition, it will be appreciated as another step against the freedom of speech.

According to oppositional politicians, newspaper kiosks will not be able to compete with companies of public catering and kiosks selling lottery tickets or cigarettes.

The Mayoralty has stressed that "it is not correct to politicize the issue, since the point is about the creation of healthy competition in the country, business development and job creation."