Residents Hold Protest Against New Construction Permit in Yerevan

On June 30, residents of nearby buildings held a warning protest at 12 Sakharov Street in the central administrative district of Yerevan, demanding that Mayor Hayk Marutyan’s construction permit decision be revoked.

According to shamshyan.com, during a conversation with photojournalist Gagik Shamshyan, the residents expressed their frustration: “We have fought for three years, yet there has been no outcome. For some reason, three years later, Yerevan Mayor Hayk Marutyan has granted permission for a building to be constructed, and now, after this building at 12 Sakharov Street is commissioned, our neighbors will face significant inconveniences.”

“Days ago, we approached one of the staff members from the central community administration who visited here. He bluntly told us, ‘You can protest with 100 people or 1000; the mayor has signed off on it, and the building will be constructed. Even if you go to court, it won't help.’ In response to our question about why the mayor played us for three years, the reply was shocking: ‘He is an actor and hasn’t stepped out of character yet,’ said an elderly woman.

Now, we want a compassionate approach to be shown, and we urge the mayor to cancel the construction permit. We can only imagine that this building will be constructed right next to the playground. Where will the vehicles of those living in that building and their visitors park? In that narrow street, how will fire trucks and ambulances operate during emergencies? Has the mayor, who signed that permit, taken all of this into account? If he had at least taken the time to come here and see with his own eyes, we are sure he would not only revoke the permit but also expand the playground for the children and plant more trees to ensure a pleasant relaxation area for the residents of these few buildings. Only a public official who does not care about Yerevan would show such an approach.

For several days now, we have been seeing in the media how, by the order of the mayor, illegally constructed buildings in different administrative districts of Yerevan are being leveled, justifying that all of this is done according to the wishes of the residents. Are there no residents here? In fact, they are native Yerevan residents. We hope our voices will be heard. Otherwise, your message stating 'There is a future' will be an empty and hollow statement.