Residents Oppose Evacuations from Hazardous Buildings, Trust in Authorities Declined - Marutyan

The Mayor of Yerevan, Hayk Marutyan, stated during a press briefing with reporters that he used his vacation to visit several European cities and hold meetings with various experts. "I was particularly interested in transportation issues, waste collection, waste processing, and sorting," said Marutyan.

Responding to the statement from the 'Lus' faction that Yerevan's issues have been omitted from the five-year development program, specifically concerning transportation, Marutyan replied that no issues have been excluded. He noted that he works daily on these matters.

The mayor also addressed the question of relocating residents from buildings classified as a fourth-degree emergency, pointing out that this issue falls outside the community's authority. "However, the community has taken on certain obligations, and we are undertaking very specific actions. There are many hindering circumstances here; we need legislative changes. There is a need for several amendments in the law concerning multi-apartment buildings," he stated.

Marutyan announced that they have appealed to the Government and the National Assembly, aiming to add a provision that would allow them to evacuate citizens if necessary, even without their consent. "For the buildings that have issues, we have found a developer. The developer has negotiated with the residents of the building and is ready to take the building, demolish it, and provide them with equivalent housing in a new structure," said Marutyan.

According to the mayor, it is planned that until a new building for the evacuated residents is constructed, they will live in rented apartments, which will last approximately 1.5 to 2 years, according to city hall's calculations. Marutyan mentioned that residents are opposed to the evacuations, saying, "There could be a trust issue here, as over the years, people have lost confidence in the authorities, but we will sign the strongest agreements with them through the best lawyers. In any case, they cannot lose this situation regardless."