Villages of broken hopes

In September, on the eve of parliamentary elections president Ilham Aliyev made a PR trip to Gadzhigabul district in order to get familiar with a construction of new houses in the village of Meyniman, previously hit by floods. By the president`s arrival 22 houses have been constructed there.
The half of 800 homes of village was flooded and authorities have made a decision to construct here 100 houses on a place of the destroyed dwellings.
The authorities promised to construct all houses by winter, but currently the building goes slowly - just a construction of 14 two - three- and four-room houses without any infrastructure is progressing.
A visit of the president was like a showdown. According to the locals, before arrival of the head of state one gunman have been put to each house, and even three guards assigned to yards of the most active peasants. They should have been prevent any attempts of peasants to meet the guarantor of constitution.
As usual a road to village on which the honored guest moved has been covered by a thin layer of asphalt, so thin that the new asphalt has broken down one month later. In many places in front of gray houses and roads fences were sheathed by claret slate which were intended for roof of houses. Of course, it"s hard to compare it with miles with four-meter marble and fences along airport highway. But they successfully hide ruin and dirt from human sight.
The residents of nearly 100 houses with broken hope wait that in the near future they get the promised homes and somehow will start to build own future which has been hit by flood.
Many of them have lost a crop, cattle. It is visible on their faces and slow moves, so they"re facing a starvation. Many on them haven"t get the promised aid of 200 маnats and those who got the aid don`t know for what. One officials say that money given for repair, the others - for cakes.
The scornful attitude to shahid families and to veterans of the Karabakh war is indicative. A refugee from Zangelan, a spouse of shahid Goyarchin Guliyeva with three children had to huddle in an emergency home with dilapidated wall and rats running from one corner to another one. ` I haven"t get a compensation and my right to appeal to the president has been violated. The guard have kept me as the prisoner until he left village`,- she told.
The president, in the meantime, stood in front of billboard reflecting a plan of new houses in the presence of the selected loyal locals who should show their love and admiration to the head of the country.
The same footage has been broadcasted by all local TV channels on November 1 from new village Yeni Novruzlu in Saatly district. Unlike Meyniman, where houses were constructed in yards of peasants, Yeni Novruzlu should personify the modern Azerbaijani village of 21 century.
Probably, this was the president"s idea which he got during his speech at governmental meeting on May 7 on flooding which hit 100 thousand hectare and 20 thousand peasant farms. Aliyev declared with a pride that the government would take care of peasants and construct modern houses instead of pise-walled huts which have been washed away by water.
But problem is that intention to construct a modern village of Yeni Novruzlu simply has failed. Now this village is not a symbol of modernization, but symbol of corruption and an example of high swindle of the Ministry of Emergency.
One of builders has revealed his own calculation of estimate of building of one house. According to these calculations one meter of habitation cost 100 маnats. But misappropriation sum for one meter projected more than four times. There are no heating, sewerage, water, gas. So infrastructure is `0`.
The four-room house have been shown to the president . This house considerably differed from the other houses , except the reserve one which was ready in case if the president to continue a excursion. The house as well as the first one has been arranged by furniture and devices - just come in and live. But nobody allowed to live there. As soon as Aliyev left for the capital, furniture have been transferred to shop, where it was hired.
Roads to the village are blocked by barriers. New settlers and all interested persons have been warned to keep out. It is said that ceremony of village opening hasn`t taken place yet and the president"s visit is about TV coverage for local and oversees viewers .
The residents of Novruzlu for whom the modern miracle have been constructed , observed the presidential trip accompanied by guide Kamaladdin Heydarov. It seems, Yeni Novruzlu to remain the sworn brother as the overwhelming majority of peasants of Novruzlu isn`t going to move there. "Why a peasant should exchange the big land with a garden, a shed for 6 hundred parts for silly house?",- the peasants ask.
Local authorities are attempting to drag somehow peasants in cold village. There are threats to pull down old habitation, tearing away of land or in the contrary promises to leave in addition old houses and lands. Even Jesuit dodge is under way. The school in old village have closed and children force to move to school in the new village, under a pretext that a building of old school the emergency construction. `But then why the recent voting held at old school`, - logically asks a resident of Novruzlu.
The same trick with school has been tried in other new village Allahmedetly. Recently a complex from 104 houses was constructed for residents of Teleshly village in Imishly district.
Distance between the old village and the new one nearly 8 km. Many residents still don"t have intentions to move. Like in Yeni Novruzlu here isn`t infrastructure, apart from asphalt roads, no light, water and heating. It"s hard to get children for such distance and that"s why some families move fully or partly. But for all of them the basic yard due to which they earn, remains native home.
Men from Teleshly, complained that new homes could be constructed in village because not all from these homes have collapsed. However, there were an illogical picture against ostentatious care of the government of citizens who have got a trouble. The family in which two juvenile children mute, hasn`t got a house in the new village and now lives in the small temporary barracks from the slate, upholstered exhaust cardboard. The authorities send them far away, as well as their grandfather who has once received a car for the hard soviet labour from Heydar Aliyev. The car after flood has collapsed and lies, having spread on land, as well as the Soviet system.
Everyone in Teleshly says that hasn`t received the promised lump sum compensations. As it was found out, each family has got from 300 to 500 маnats. "But we have been promised 200 маnats per capita",- says father of a family from ten persons.
Problem of compensation is one of the serious issues in region of flooding with the population more than 100 thousand. Those who have received compensations, don`t know, for what have received them, and those who haven`t received can`t understand why a reason to be deprived by local officials who feel small deities.
Actually the government declared the 200 маnat aid per capita. But a little big later it was found out that people facing rob, giving out a part of the sum or without giving out at all. The officials-thieves have been disclosed in villages Azadakand and Hankechan. The Prosecutor Office has launched a probe into these cases. But despite appeals of nongovernmental organizations, a probe in Sabirabad has failed. And now the lawlessness of officials has hit many suffered regions.
The authorities on behalf of the Ministry of Emergency have also promised to pass the second program on elimination of consequences which to provide compensations for lost crop. But now these compensation have been forgotten. Apart from peasants who have nothing to live because of the lost crop and cattle.
It isn`t surprising over activity of the government and its representative on elimination of consequences of flood - the Ministry of Emergency. The resolution 197 which promised to construct 3500 homes and objects by winter has failed. Nobody, apart from the country"s leadership, knows where have gone allocated 300 million маnats. The local public and community don"t have access to information on implemented and non-implemented plans. Meanwhile corruption and plunders hit a high. As usual appetite comes with eating.

Mehman Aliyev, Sabirabad-Saatli-İmishli-Hajigabul