About 50 residents of Georgian Kobuleti face threats of eviction

A businessman privatized a house in Kobuleti, which was home to 12 families in a difficult situation. Tenants held a protest action with the demand not to evict them from the building or provide them with housing.

On August 24, tenants of a house in Tavisupleba Street broke into the building of the Batumi Mayoralty, activist Irakli Djankarashvili told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent. According to the activist, that was the third protest action organized by the tenants. Earlier, on July 16, they held a protest action in the Kobuleti Mayoralty, and on July 17, they protested in front of the Adjara government building.

Irakli Djankarashvili notes that "those people live in the building which belonged to the Statistics Department in Kobuleti, and this year, the building was privatized, so people are afraid to stay in the street."

The official owner is businessman Djemal Romanidze, but in fact, the building was bought by Malkhaz Romanidze, a member of the Kobuleti City Council, says Mamuka Iremadze, a tenant of the building in question.

"Malkhaz Romanidze said that he was going to use the building as a business facility, and he gave us time until October 31 to leave the housing," Mamuka Iremadze said.

"We have nowhere to go. We lost our houses. For example, my house in a village burned down, and I have to live here for eight years already," said Paata Mikeladze, a tenant of the house.

Mamuka Iremadze has two children, 19 and 17 years old. The both teenagers live with their parents and in case of eviction will also end up in the street.

Djaba Putkaradze, Minister of Economy and Finance of the Autonomous Republic of Adjara, promised the protesters that their resettlement problem would be resolved, reported Djaba Ananidze, a correspondent of the "Batumelebi".