Constructor Company Says Ceiling Collapse in Metro isn’t Their Fault
By Gvantsa Gabekhadze
Thursday, February 1
(TBILISI)--Head of the Kvarelremsheni Company, which rehabilitated Varketili metro station five months ago, says that the collapse of the metro station ceiling on January 30 that affected 15 people was not their fault.
The company head Giorgi Jokharidze told journalists after the two-hour interrogation in a police department that an old construction demolished in the metro on which the ceiling was fixed.
“It was one of the conditions in the tender when the old construction should have been maintained,” Jokharidze said.
“The body which carried out the expertise on the construction must take the responsibility. When we finished rehabilitation in the metro, Tbilisi Mayor’s Office had no questions,” he said.
Former Tbilisi Mayor Davit Narmania stated that he was ready to take political responsibility if the investigation revealed the fault of his office.
"The investigation has to say its word. Firstly, we do not know if there was a defect in the project or the collapse was caused by the defect and negligence during the construction process.
“The investigation must answer all these questions. I think everyone should be punished very strictly. A large part of the companies in the construction sector have low qualifications or inadequately perform their duties,” Narmania said.
Current Mayor of Tbilisi Kakha Kaladze vowed that all those responsible for the collapse would face tough punishment.
The Tbilisi Mayor’s Office allocated 347,852 GEL for the works in Varketili metro, which opened to public in September last year.
From the fifteen injured during the collapse, eight still remain in hospitals for treatment.
The people have no life threatening injuries.
The treatment costs are covered by the Mayor’s Office.
The metro re-opened a day after the collapse, as Tbilisi Transport Company managed to remove debris the same night.
