Tbilisi, DFWatch – Adjarian villagers who on Saturday protested construction of a hydro-power plant and were dispersed by the police achieved agreement with the government of the Autonomous Republic of Adjara. 

Negotiations started at 03:00 am in the morning on Sunday and lasted for hours. Archil Khabadze, head of Adjara’s government attended the negotiations.

Otar Iakobadze, one of the protesters from village Ghurta, told Interpressnews that the agreement implies compensation for any loss caused by construction of the power station by the government.

Villagers also plan to start legal disputes with the help of the environmental NGOs to stop construction works altogether. They also plan to hold peaceful rally today in order to remind about their demands to the government.

Meanwhile Interior Ministry launched criminal law investigation for the incident which took place on Saturday in Ghurta.

Witnesses claim police beat protesters, including women. People from five villages nearby argue that the construction will inevitably damage the fragile mountainous environment of the site and cause immense harm through landslides that are rife in this place.

Landslides largely due to deforestation have caused thousands of environmental migrants from mountainous Adjara and claim dozens of lives in the past decades.