On November 23, another tragedy happened on the Kvesheti-Kobi construction section. Near the village of Tskere, during the construction of a retaining wall, a large amount of earth collapsed due to a landslide and trapped five workers of the construction company beneath it. They were citizens of Turkmenistan and China. Four of them died on the spot, and one of them was taken to a hospital. According to the Roads Department, “Emergency Situations Management Service is mobilized at the scene of the incident, and an investigation has already begun”.
The project is carried out by the Chinese companies – China Railway Tunnel Group Co and China Railway 23rd Bureau Group Co. In the government-issued statement, the requirement for stricter safety standards for construction companies is discussed.
Unfortunately, the tragedy that occurred on Kvesheti-Kobi road is just another proof of this grave trend, about which the Civic IDEA has been reporting on for the past few years, issuing recommendations and warnings to both the government and the population.
Since 2017, reports issued by various international organizations indicated that the above-mentioned contractors had only formally complied with safety rules, while real monitoring was not carried out. This was proven in Georgia back in 2022, when an explosion in a CRTG tunnel led to the death of one person due to the accumulation of CO₂.
The company has a problematic reputation not only in Georgia but around the world as well. CRTG and its parent company, CRCC, are blacklisted by the US Department of Defense. In addition, in 2019, the World Bank issued a 20-month package of sanctions against these companies due to their fraudulent practices, including falsifying tender documents and violating workers’ labor rights.
In response to warning reports, “Civic IDEA” has been accused of acting against the interests of the country. The tragedy that occurred in Kobi raises the question of whose interests were served by those people who, for years, have been ignoring our recommendations as well as those issued by other international and non-governmental organizations working on these issues.
Given the high technical and environmental risks and warnings, strict monitoring of contractors was clearly necessary. However, this case is yet another tragic proof that all warnings were ignored by state agencies, and moreover, they continue to unconditionally support these companies. It is worth asking what interests were behind these deals that the Georgian Dream regime made with internationally sanctioned Chinese companies with a bad reputation.
