Tbilisi Mayor, Kakha Kaladze, announced at this week’s government session that City Hall is to provide two million GEL for the club culture sector, due to the damage caused by the pandemic. Kaladze said that all those who work in this field will receive assistance, and highlighted that the electronic music and club sector was the first field to shut down during the pandemic and had been severely affected, with many of its employees left without jobs. Kaladze also pointed to the fact that the club sector is an area that had made the capital of Georgia famous in Europe and has attracted many tourists to the country.
“On the one hand, it is necessary to alleviate the socio-economic situation of people working in this field and their families, maintain the viability of the electronic music sector and other organizations, and on the other hand, with state support, maintain their potential and motivation to continue their activities in the post-pandemic period. They will have maximum support from us,” he said. “Within the framework of the Night Economy project, I was in communication with people involved in the sector, many meetings were held, Andria Basilaia was conducting negotiations. We have decided to offer them an aid package, to the amount of 2 million GEL, and at least 500 people employed in this field will benefit from this aid package,” the Tbilisi Mayor said.
Minibus Fleet in Tbilisi to be Completely Renovated
By the end of this year, the minibus fleet in Tbilisi is to be completely renovated, the Mayor announced on Wednesday.
“According to the transportation policy, only 1,000 new minibuses will operate in the capital, while the rest of the routes will be served by 8-meter buses. Negotiations with ‘Tbilisi Minibus’ are almost over. The company will secure the attraction of the capital and, first of all, will repurchase the 300 units of minibuses we bought. It will also purchase additional 400 minibuses. It will all be completed by the end of the year. In the coming days, Tbilisi City Hall will announce market research and start the bidding procedure. The transportation policy consists of many components. The most important thing is to upgrade the existing fleet and completely replace the old buses. This process has already begun. Buses have been purchased and we are waiting for them being delivered. Additionally, we would like to introduce approximately 180 units of 8-meter and 200 units of 18-meter buses.”
27 Families Living at Different Addresses Will Receive Housing
27 families living at the different addresses, who have been worried about the legalization of their housing for years, will be provided with housing at a symbolic price of 1 GEL.
The Tbilisi Mayor this week emphasized once again that the seizure of state lands and then illegal constructions on those lands is categorically unacceptable. He says they have a program under which 6-7 million GEL is spent to help and rent out property to the families who do not have a house and are socially disadvantaged.
Student Support Program Expanded
Kaladze announced that student support program has been expanded and funding will be provided to more vulnerable students registered in Tbilisi who have 150,000 or fewer points in the unified database of the socially vulnerable. Prior to the implementation of the changes, the program funded those students whose families had a rating score of 70,000 or less in the unified database of the socially vulnerable. Applications for funding for the spring semester began on March 1 and will run through May 31. Under the program, tuition will be funded for more than 2,000 students.
