Heavy Construction Equipment Deployed Again: Tension Remains High Around Fizgorodok

Heavy construction equipment has been deployed again in the residential area known as Fizgorodok as of September 22. "The municipality must suspend construction works, provide the grounds regarding the status of the Alikhanian 6/1 area, and a conclusion regarding the restrictions of Article 60 of the Land Code, but they blindly open the drawer where the article is located and claim they cannot find it. If only they opened their eyes to actually look in the drawer, they would find it," said Vahram Asatryan, one of the residents, in an interview with 168.am.

According to residents, on September 17, MPs from the “Civil Contract” faction visited Fizgorodok, accompanied by inspectors from the Yerevan municipality and "Gazprom Armenia," to document the activities of "Ratko" LLC. "The commission documented that the gas pipeline supplying residents with gas runs through the construction site, directly adjacent to ongoing excavation works, which is a serious violation of site organization standards. A representative from "Gazprom Armenia" informed residents that the developer is obligated to relocate the fence within three working days so that the pipeline is no longer included in the construction site. Inspectors confirmed that "Ratko" LLC had received written notification regarding this matter.

Construction works ceased on September 18 but resumed again on September 22, with excavation occurring throughout the day near the gas pipeline running through the construction site. No steps have been taken towards relocating the fence; however, construction work has once again been suspended for 1.5 days. It is worth noting that the chain of illegal construction processes in Fizgorodok began in 2004 when the first instance court recognized Tigran Agajanyan's property rights over a 50.8 square meter basement and a 1976.1 square meter plot in the scientific area.

In 2006, the same plot was re-registered in the names of Andranik Balasanyan and "Ratko" LLC, who are currently carrying out the construction. Mayor Hayk Marutyan's spokesperson, Hakob Karapetyan, stated on his Facebook page that the land was privatized in 2004, and the Yerevan municipality does not have the legal capacity or authority to annul the privatization decision. A construction permit for a 12-story building was issued in 2007 and 2012 in that area. In 2019, the municipality rejected the extension of the previous construction permit and required the developer to undergo all examinations again. The Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sport announced in February 2021 that it recognized the territory of Fizgorodok as a recently discovered monument and, in May 2021, excluded the Alikhanian 6/1 plot from that territory. In July 2021, the municipality issued a construction permit. The municipality is obligated to grant a construction permit if the project complies with all norms and the area is not included in the list of monuments.