Mikheil Saakashvili opened a newly built natural gas pipeline in the village of Zemo Osiauri in the Khashuri Region.  The Head of State addressed the gathered population and spoke to them about the ongoing and planned social programs. The President offered them a new plan of connecting their homes to natural gas and noted that each family will now be able to do this in installments. According to the President, the population will have to pay only 25-30 GEL per month, which is approximately as much as they were paying for one liquid gas container.

“Gasification is one of the most difficult promises to keep because it needed hundreds of millions of dollars of investments and tremendous efforts. However, the main problem was that the population did not have the means with which to connect their homes to the pipelines because it was too expensive. It cost 300-500 GEL, which was too difficult to pay all at once. Most of the families did not have the means to do it and went without natural gas. This is why we discussed the issue with the Ministry of Energy and the Socar Company, and I am going to tell you about the plan we have come up with. Today, everyone is buying liquid gas in containers and paying 25-30 GEL per container. From now on, you will pay as much per month as you were paying for one liquid gas container. You will basically not feel anything different and every family in Osiauri and the rest of Georgia will have natural gas for the cost of one liquid gas container per month. This will help us all exhale with relief.” – noted the President while talking to them.

Mikheil Saakashvili recalled the time when he visited Osiauri in his capacity as the leader of the United National Movement and promised to implement various projects. The Head of State spoke to them about the fulfilled of promises and familiarized them with future plans.

“I recall very warmly my previous visit here and now I have arrived to give you a report on what has been done, and most importantly what we are planning to do here today, after 1 year and 4 years.  Despite the fact that a lot of things have been accomplished here, Osiauri remains one of the most problematic villages for us. The roads still need to be fixed; the population still receives water in increments. ..Water is being supplied to every village in Georgia and we are fixing roads to 200 villages in the country. We are expanding the pension package and next year pensions will be a minimum of 140 GEL for every person over the age of 65. The health insurance issue is also very important. We are going to insure 2.5 million persons this year and we are going to switch to a common health insurance package within a few years. This is what we need because there should no longer be persons in Georgia, who cannot afford to get medical care in the new hospitals.” – stated the Head of State.

The company “Socar Energy Georgia” administered the work within the scope of the Presidential program “Gas for Every Village”, and built a 7 kilometer long pipeline, which will supply 260 families of the village. Mikheil Saakashvili lighted a torch with local children in order to celebrate the end of the gasification project in the village.