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Tuesday,
August 21,
2007, #159 (1426)
A handful of open-air markets, or bazrobebi, have been shut down in Tbilisi this summer to make way for new buildings on their land. Observers say the trend is likely to continue, eventually leading to the closure of virtually all major bazrobebi in Georgia as modern supermarkets supplant their role. There are definite consumer advantages to shopping in modern supermarkets, but like any shoppers Georgians are concerned about prices. And with many citizens barely scraping by, the higher overhead costs and fixed prices of supermarkets could make for unpleasantly abbreviated shopping trips. Fruit and vegetables in bazrobebi sometimes go for nearly half the supermarket price, bargained for and bagged in no-frill stalls. Taking those away, many fear, will hit Georgia's poor hard. Some opposition politicians and human rights advocates are trying to stall the march forward while they still can, organizing rallies and warning anyone who will listen. Jondi Baghaturia, leader of the Georgian Troupe political movement, claims that the renowned Eliava Bazroba, a trading place for car parts and household appliances, is slated to be shut down, leaving 10 000 to 12 000 people without work. Georgia's open markets have little time left, Baghaturia warns, predicting that most will be shut down by the end of the year. Other opposition figures are busying themselves by poring over their options, legal and otherwise. Some remind the ruling administration that in the 2003 Rose Revolution, street vendors made up a sizeable chunk of the crowd which surged Mikheil Saakashvili forth into the presidency. Official responses are vague. The Ministry of Economic Development says it doesn't have a hand in these land sales; it's up to the city municipality, the ministry asserts. Tbilisi City Hall, meanwhile, claims they're not the ones closing down the markets. No one, then, closed
Dezertirebis Bazroba a couple of weeks ago. But that market did close,
and nothing is alleviating worries that other bazrobebi will meet similar
fates. |
Shoppers
fear open-air markets won't be open much longer