Authorities Accused of Negligence After Two Children Die in Batumi

Two minors died on February 15 in Batumi after falling into a water ditch on the territory of the “Dream Town” social project, which was not fenced off despite planned construction works. The two children, aged four and five according to local media, were taken to hospital after hours of search but could not be saved.

The Interior Ministry has opened an investigation under Article 116 of the country’s criminal code, which covers killing by negligence and carries a penalty of six months to two years’ house arrest or two to four years’ imprisonment, and three to five years’ imprisonment if committed against two or more people.

The residents say safety standards have been ignored because the area demolished for the new construction was not fenced off. They blame the ruling government, which builds residential blocks there. Just a week earlier, on February 8, Georgian Dream (GD) Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze and the Chair of the GD government in Adjara, Tornike Rizhvadze, inaugurated the second stage of construction of “Dream City” – a so-called “capsule drop” event that cost GEL 209,000 to the Adjara budget.

GD Minister of Economy in Adjara Jaba Putkaradze, who arrived at the scene, claimed the place where the children fell into the ditch was not a construction site. “This is not the construction territory, you are trying to speculate. There are preparations going on,” he claimed to journalists.

“A tragedy has happened, but peace is essential,” he said. Some citizens verbally confronted him, asking why the area had not been fenced off, even though tractors had driven through it in the previous days. He repeatedly insisted that no construction was taking place, only preparatory work.

Journalists at the site were also verbally confronted by several individuals from the entourage of Jaba Putkaradze and Irakli Tavdgiridze, the chairman of the Batumi City Council (Sakrebulo), as the media tried to record the area and ask questions of the GD authorities.

The GD government started the construction of residential buildings in “Dream Town” in 2020. The first stage was to provide housing for 582 families. The second phase, which was inaugurated by Kobakhidze last week, involves the construction of nine multi-story blocks. The project is scheduled for completion in 2028, with a total of 1,077 apartments.

A similar tragedy took place in Tbilisi on January 25. A 16-year-old boy fell into a water ditch in Rike Park. Again, there were no warning signs or fencing around the ditch. The MIA said it had opened an investigation under Article 115 of the Criminal Code, which deals with incitement to suicide.

Also Read:

• 17/10/2022 – Protest Calls for Kaladze to Resign After Teen’s Death in Vake Park
• 05/07/2022 – 3 Persons Sentenced for Batumi Building Collapse

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