Director of 'Petak' Company Subjected to Administrative Liability: State Inspection Body

The State Inspection Body for Urban Development and Technical Safety of Armenia has stated that it does not have the authority to register hazardous materials and explosive products under Armenian legislation. This was reported by the press secretary of the State Inspection Body, Elena Zohrabyan, in a conversation with 'Radar Armenia', responding to a question about whether inspectors have registered the quantity of hazardous materials at the 'Petak' pop-up exhibition.

'Since the State Inspection Body does not have the authority to register hazardous materials, it cannot specify their volumes either,' said Elena Zohrabyan.

In response to the question regarding the actions taken or to be taken to ensure compliance with safety regulations, Zohrabyan elaborated that an inspection and investigation were carried out from June 14 to 18, 2021, at the 'Petak' LLC located at 17a Arshakunyats Avenue in Yerevan based on the directive of the head of the inspection body dated June 10, 2021, focusing on compliance with technical and fire safety legislative requirements.

'As a result, the director of the 'Petak' company has been subjected to administrative liability for violations of fire safety rules and urban planning standards under the first part of Article 187 of the Code of Administrative Offenses. The company has also been given directives to eliminate the violations with specific deadlines. The final deadline for compliance has been set for July 23, 2022. Based on the directive of the head of the State Inspection Body, a re-inspection and investigation at 'Petak' LLC will be conducted from August 22 to 25,' announced press secretary Elena Zohrabyan.

It is noteworthy that on August 14, an explosion occurred at the 'Surmalu' shopping center, resulting in the deaths of 16 individuals, with one citizen still reported missing. Today, the Ministry of Emergency Situations announced the cessation of search and rescue operations.