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Monday,
August 6,
2007, #148 (1415) "I often go
there to shop because it's near my house. I've heard that it's closing,
and it's a shame because a lot of people will find themselves unemployed.
Yes, they're supposedly going to be relocated to another market, but
I don't believe that." "I've never
been there for shopping, but my mother goes. I agree with the decision,
because it's a very dirty place and needs renovating. What's bad about
someone wanting to build a new supermarket? I'm sure the government
will employ these people in other places." "I think it's
a good idea to replace the Bazaar with a new, modern market. But the
people must be employed in other markets, because their only income
is trading. It's unfair to leave them without jobs." "Yes, I sometimes
go there to buy something, because things are cheap. Admittedly, the
place was almost in ruins and it ought to be renovated, but not at the
expense of vendors." "It's okay
to renovate the Bazaar-I shopped there a lot and approve of the idea,
but I'm concerned about the people who work there. They were just ordered
to vacate the place. It's an unjustified action from the government." "They sell
everything and they ruin people's life. What can these vendors do with
the GEL 100 in compensation they were offered? Can they keep a family
on this? It's abusing people. Besides, one could buy cheap products
at Desertirebi which is great for pensioners like me who are always
looking to save a little cash." "Sure, we
shop there. Normally we would be happy with a new and tidy market instead
of this old one. But our reality is different. We all understand that
investments or privatisations are not charity actions. If the investor
builds a huge facility that costs millions, he should logically expect
to receive good returns when the market opens. Consequently, prices
are likely to rise. And of course the fate of the vendors is a serious
question too." "I think this
is the most frequently-visited market. Of course, there are also many
smaller markets in every district, but they offer less variety and charge
higher prices. So the less well-off prefer to go that extra distance
to save a little. I think the way the vendors were treated is absolutely
unlawful. They could have warned these people at least a week prior.
Now they have to find a new place to sell their products, at the risk
of them perishing in the meantime." "I'm absolutely
outraged. The government has unexpectedly thrown out the salesmen from
the market, while leaving ordinary citizens at a loss too. It's unbelievable
that more notice was not given. I seriously doubt the legality of ousting
vendors like this. It just shows the government's attitude, nothing
else. They could have done this very smoothly, but they don't care right
now-it's not close enough to the elections, so they aren't vying for
our votes." |
The
Dezertirebis Bazaar has been closed down to make way for a new shopping
mall. Do you shop there? Would you like to see a new facility built?
Do you think Tbilisi City Hall will keep its promise to help the more
than 1000 vendors relocate to other markets? 