According to Tbilisi Mayor, David Narmania, about 10, 000 m² of the sold Dighomi Park will be returned back to the city. The decision was made after discussions with the park’s private owners.
“The buyback process of Dighomi park has started, for it to be returned to Tbilisi once again. The redeemed area will undergo autumn rehabilitation processes. In addition, negotiations on 16,400 m² park area is also underway” – Said the Tbilisi Mayor during the press conference.
For a number of years, numerous non-governmental, media and international organizations actively campaigned for preserving the Dighomi park. Discussions between the city authorities and the public was especially tense after 2009, when the city council, among with dozens of other recreational zones, changed the park’s status, rendering the area unprotected.
The campaign embraced all possible mechanisms, from protest rallies to legal disputes. The film was prepared, the local population was actively involved in the process, with the artist Ana Gabriadze, making daily contributions to advocacy activities.
CENN congratulates the public of Tbilisi on this important victory and expresses hope that the Tbilisi City Hall will hold up to its promise to return the whole park to the city in the shortest possible time.