Coalition For Freedom of Choice Demands Termination of Auction for Lots Apportioned for Trading Booths

Coalition For Freedom of Choice demands the termination of the auction for the lots apportioned for trading booths and the meeting with the City Mayor Gigi Ugulava over the issue. The statement on the given demand was made by the Coalition members at the press conference held on November 28.

On November 11, 2011 Tbilisi City Hall announced an auction to obtain a right to set up the trading booths on 1,000 spots in the streets of the capital city. 150 lots coincide with the spots where the newsagent kiosks have been operating for years. The City has already ordered the owner companies such as Planeta Forte, Matsne and Elva Servis to remove the aforementioned kiosks. The auction is scheduled to be held on November 29. The winning company will have a right to sell any kind of goods at the booths.

The Coalition which embraces seven NGOs and two experts considers that Tbilisi City Hall is jeopardizing press distribution trying to exert pressure on media thereupon.

“We have a well-founded suspicion that in the pre-election period the authorities aim to neutralize print media in order to provide the society with only filtered information being delivered through national channels,” the Coalition representatives said speaking at the press conference.

The members of the Coalition are demanding detailed information about the proceeding of the auction and the companies partaking in it. “Let them tell us what economic effect this auction is bearing, how it is going to replace the public interest which is called press distribution, let Gigi Ugulava clarify why the booths have been removed prior to the completion of the auction unless otherwise we are going to think that our fear is not groundless,” said Ia Mamaladze, the Coalition member, head of the Media Monitoring Center reporting to Media.ge.

Zviad Koridze of the Coalition thinks that one third out of 1,000 lots Tbilisi City Hall should allocate specially for press and organize a separate auction for newsagent kiosks.

“In the course of the auction already held a single lot was sold for GEL 22,000 which is an unreal price for a booth,” said Zviad Koridze. For the sold lots, he said, the auction has been re-announced. 

The Coalition demands the resumption of the auction when there are solid guarantees provided for press distribution. Besides, the Parliament of Georgia should immediately launch the examination of the drafts drawn up by media expert and initiated at the Parliament, which include press distribution in addition to other issues.

The draft on distribution of print production was initiated at the Parliament of Georgia in May 2011. But the legislators have not discussed the issue since then.

According to Article 4 of the given draft the distribution of print production shall be carried out through any mean, including booths, stands/tables set up inside and outside of buildings, through handing out and subscription. All of the bodies of state and local governments shall be restricted to introduce admission regime and impose fee for the distribution of print production and for setting up a stand/table or booth for the sale of print production provided the given stand/table or booth is being exclusively applied for the distribution of print production.

The Coalition is urging the individuals willing to take part in the auction to refrain from partaking in the auction for the lots where the newsagent booths are set up until November 25. The Coalition members are requesting media representatives to publish in their editions the titles of the lots coinciding with the existing newsagent booths.

Press representatives are going to hold a protest rally at Tbilisi City Hall on November 29, at 14:00 hrs.

In regard to booths located in the streets of Tbilisi City Hall released a statement on November 24 according to which “in the nearest future new, modern design booths will be placed in Tbilisi instead of the old and ugly ones.”

“There are no limits for participating in the auction. Those interested can sell other products along with press in their booths, just as it was allowed before. Like this they become normally competitive. When they say that this business will fail to compete it is a little obscure, as tobacco, beverages and other products used to be sold from the press booths before too.  These persons can also make contracts with the auction winning companies,” reads the statement.