With the slogan “No tree cutting,” activists armed with percussion instruments and small shovels held a protest rally in front of the Tbilisi City Council on 28 April 2015. In this way, they condemned the cutting of more than 10 trees on 27 April by the construction company Archi Group at 13 Tamarashvili Street. However, this was not the only reason for the protesters’ dissatisfaction. They demanded the dismissal of the head of Tbilisi City Hall’s Ecology and Greenery Service, Bidzina Giorgobiani, and, as they said, the staffing of the service with competent people.

At the time, the Architecture Service of Tbilisi City Hall was reviewing the development regulation plan for 13 Tamarashvili Street; after the project was completed, the document would be sent to the City Council for approval. As the head of the Architecture Service, Nino Ghoghoberidze, told Radio Liberty, Archi Group should not have started cutting trees before the development regulation plan was agreed upon. According to a statement made on 27 April by Bidzina Giorgobiani, however, the Greenery Service had issued the permit for tree cutting precisely within the framework of the development regulation plan.

City Council member Aleksandre Elisashvili said that Giorgobiani issued the tree-cutting permit on 23 April and suspended it on 27 April—when the trees had already been cut down. On that day, Archi Group cut more than 10 trees, and only the protest of local residents and environmental activists forced them to stop the cutting. By the time of the protest rally, tree cutting remained suspended.

On 4 November 2015, Bidzina Giorgobiani left his position, receiving thanks from then–Mayor Davit Narmania for his productive work. “During his tenure… greening activities were intensively carried out in Tbilisi,” Narmania stated.