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cooperation on the planned factory was signed by Stadler, Tbilisi Railway JSC and Tbilisi City Hall on June 22.
“We have concluded an agreement with Stadler, in the scope of this memorandum we will start negotiations, so we can build a factory which will be able to build and assemble Georgian subway railway carriages and cars, ” said Tbilisi mayor Kakha Kaladze.
“This is very important as we will establish new working places. Also, this is important in the transportation direction, as we are planning on introducing new buses and renovating subway cars. The capital will have new, modern, European style Stadler brand railway carriages. I am sure we will finally achieve agreement in this direction.”
The Swiss company already has experience in Georgia, having provided four double-decker Stadler KISS trans for the Tbilisi-Batumi route.
“Products produced in Georgia will be for local and regional markets,” Georgian Railways said in a statement . “ Building such a high-tech enterprise is of utmost importance to increase our export potential.”
9.2.3 Metallurgy & mining corporate news
Six Georgian miners died and at least three were injured when the tunnel in which they were working collapsed on April 5. The Mindeli coal mine, located near the town of Tkibuli in the region of Imereti some 200km west of the Georgian capital Tbilisi, is operated by Sakhakhshiri, a Georgian company. The mine operator claims that the accident was caused by a shock effect triggered by a rock burst, a spontaneous rock fracture that is a common occurrence in mines. The incident comes after another miner died in a different mine in the Imereti region on March 26, and amidst a flurry of criticism levelled at mining companies for not abiding by environmental and worker safety standards. On April 3, Agriculture and Environment Minister Levan Davitashvili criticised Rich Metals Group (RMG), a company registered in the Netherlands that operates a large gold and copper mining operation in Georgia, for polluting three rivers adjacent to its mine. The minister said that the government gave the company, which has invested $300mn in Georgia and employs 3,000 workers, nine months to stop releasing pollutants into the rivers.
The interior ministry has launched a criminal investigation against Sakhakhshiri, Georgiatoday has reported. Those found responsible for violating safety regulations risk up to five years of imprisonment.
Politicians have called for stricter safety rules and an improvement in labour standards in Georgia’s mining industry.
43 GEORGIA Country Report July 2018 www.intellinews.com