UNM uses interpellation mechanism to summon Interior Minister to Parliament over Shovi landslide

The United National Movement – the largest opposition group in the country – on Wednesday said it had applied to the legislative body to summon the Interior Minister Vakhtang Gomelauri to the Parliament with the use of the interpellation mechanism over the August 3 deadly landslide in the country’s western Shovi resort, killing 26. 

 

Tina Bokuchava, the head of the party faction in the Parliament, said relevant agencies in the body had been obliged to transfer the party’s questions to the Minister, which he would have to answer while in the state legislature.

 

The said the questions concerned the absence of early warning systems in the country “despite numerous promises” over the years by officials, identifying the reasons causing a three-hour delay in the search and rescue efforts after receiving the notification about the disaster, explaining the reasons why the Government had refused to ask help to neighboring countries and whether the rescuers had appropriate equipment in the operation. 

 

“The Minister will also have to provide answers as to why the Government had refused to purchase two search and rescue helicopters from the US under the grant method,” Bokuchava added. 

 

The Government representatives claim the opposition is trying to gain “own benefit” from the “tragedy”, claiming its response to the “unpreventable disaster” was “effective”, amid the claims by survivors of being trapped in the landslide for several hours. 

 

Seven individuals are still missing following the landslide in the Oni municipality of the country’s Racha region.