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Forbidden zone at Batumi Boulevard

Batumelebi reports that an informational board was placed at the end of the new Batumi Boulevard, the place where 16-year-old Mariam Kochaliani was recently killed. The board reads “Forbidden Zone.”

According to Batumelebi, this is how the local Mayor’s Office tries to protect the tourists.

On the question of what does this board mean and will such things damage the image of Batumi as a safe tourist destination, city Mayor, Jemal Ananidze, said it will not, because this is the zone where the tourists should not walk. “This is a warning,” he stated.

Ananidze said after the murder, the Mayor’s office was blamed for not protecting the norms of safety. He said where such norms are hard to protect the warning signs will be introduced for the citizens’ attention.

According to Batumi Mayor, this particular territory does not belong to the boulevard and is not defined for walking.

Despite the mayor’s explanations, there is a bicycle line across the territory where the locals and tourists usually ride.

According to the press service of the Georgian Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA), 42 police officers control the boulevard.

Ananidze said the central government has issued 5 million GEL for rehabilitating the Black Sea coast.