Tbilisi Mayor Kakha Kaladze has called on the administration of the so-called Deserters’ Bazaar to give traders a reasonable deadline and temporary space to continue working during the planned rehabilitation.
Kaladze said the market is privately owned and the municipality has issued the necessary permits for its renovation. However, he stressed that the works should not leave traders without jobs or alternatives overnight.
The mayor said the current condition of the market requires rehabilitation, citing poor sanitation and deteriorated infrastructure. He added that the municipality respects private property while also seeking to protect the interests of people working at the market.
Protests broke out at the market on September 21 after the administration asked traders to vacate the area. The traders blocked the road and said they would not leave. Large-scale rehabilitation works were announced on September 14 due to critical sanitary conditions and damaged underground infrastructure.
