Tbilisi mayor urges Deserters’ Market to give vendors time, temporary space

Tbilisi Mayor Kakha Kaladze has called on the administration of the privately owned Deserters’ Market to give vendors a reasonable period and temporary space to continue working while redevelopment and construction works are carried out at the site.

Kaladze addressed protests by vendors at the market during a meeting of the Tbilisi municipal government on Tuesday.

The mayor said the market was privately owned and that the municipality had issued the necessary permit for the site’s renovation and redevelopment. He acknowledged concerns about the current condition of the area, describing it as poorly maintained and affected by inadequate sanitary conditions.

However, Kaladze said approval for redevelopment should not result in vendors losing their livelihoods overnight without an alternative.

“A permit to renovate and redevelop the area does not mean leaving people without work, without an alternative, in a single day,” he said.

He stressed that the municipality supported private investment and respected private property rights, while also saying that the interests of people working at the market needed to be taken into account.

“We therefore appeal to the market administration to provide vendors with a reasonable period and an appropriate space to continue their activities until the redevelopment works are completed,” Kaladze said.

Kaladze instructed Tbilisi Deputy Mayor Giorgi Tkemaladze to become involved in the process. He also said the Didube district administration had already held a meeting with the market administration and vendors.