"Any Moment Can Catch Fire and an Incident Like Surmalu Can Occur": Gas Station Operating Near Residential Building in Violation

The CPS gas station operating at 52/7 Aghbyur Serob Street has been functioning unlawfully for 13 years. This fact is confirmed by all relevant state agencies, yet activities endangering public safety have not been halted.

The State Urban Development, Technical and Fire Safety Inspection Agency has confirmed that the gas station operates with six violations: the required distance from residential buildings is not maintained, there is no fire safety system, and no expert conclusion for the hazardous production facility has been presented, among other issues. Moreover, no inspection results or permits have been issued by the inspection agency concerning the specified address.

Interestingly, the CPS company that manages the gas station has listed all of its gas stations on its website by address, except for the illegal gas station at Aghbyur Serob 52/7.

Residents are raising alarms. Edgar Karapetyan, a resident of the multi-storey building located just a few meters from the gas station at 52 Aghbyur Serob Street, approached FIP.am about this issue. According to him, he has been knocking on all state doors for about two years, with no results. Residents are not only concerned about the risk of an explosion but are also dissatisfied with the pervasive smell of gasoline.

"There is no established distance; the law requires a 50-meter distance from residential buildings, but there is not even a meter from my house, and only 4 meters from the entire building, which has 8 apartments in that three-story building. My apartment is adjacent; the wall is on the wall, I can't live, the smell is suffocating. Additionally, at any moment, a fire could break out, and an incident like Surmalu could occur, and then everyone will look at each other, searching for who is to blame. Fire Safety has indicated that there should be no gas station here, but it exists and operates. I have appealed to the police, I have contacted the Prime Minister's office, I have reached out to the Prime Minister's oversight, and there is no mention of the municipality or the neighborhood administration, and nothing changes," he says.

According to Karapetyan, the inspection agency has fined the gas station represented by "CPS Oil" LLC, to which the company replied by suing for the fine, claiming it pays the legal fees properly. However, there is no end in sight for the legal battle. According to him, the gas station is unregistered and has no right to sell gasoline in that area. "In other words, that area has been allocated for public activity as a retail space, but they are selling gasoline, whereas selling gasoline requires specifying a gas station, meaning you cannot sell gasoline under the name of a flower shop or clothing store," the resident notes.

Karapetyan states that when he approached the Arabkir district administration, he was initially assured there was no gas station as such, only to later find out that the same district administration grants an annual permit to sell gasoline 24 hours a day.

"Of course, the inspection agency should suspend it, as the right to sell gasoline is determined by that agency. Now the municipality has reviewed the issue and this time has refused to grant permission to operate 24 hours and sell gasoline, but they still continue to sell gasoline for another eight months. I have appealed to the Prime Minister's office, asking to suspend the operations of that gas station. They also say there is a legal dispute with the inspection agency. So now, whenever you approach an institution, they say there is a legal battle. I say there may be a legal battle, but this has nothing to do with my life; my life and health are at risk. We understood there is a legal battle, which may linger on, so send an authorized body to suspend operations and let the legal dispute proceed," he adds.

Another resident at 52/1 Aghbyur Serob Street, Gayane Khachaturyan notes that unlike other fuel-selling companies' owners, the owner of "CPS Oil" LLC, Ashot Salazaryan, is not a political "face," but similarly to how he previously operated this gas station illegally, he continues to do so now.

According to her, back in 2008-2009, when the organization had just received a construction permit from the municipality, they promised it would only be a point for selling oils, but later it turned out that this was not correct.

The authority to cease the operation of the gas station lies with the municipality, according to the inspection agency. In response to FIP.am’s inquiry, the State Urban Development, Technical and Fire Safety Inspection Agency stated that an inspection was conducted at "CPS Oil" LLC at the address 52/7 Aghbyur Serob Street based on the directive of the head of the inspection agency on May 5, 2022, from June 20 to 22, 2022. "The inspection revealed violations of fire safety regulations, for which the manager of the economic entity has been held administratively liable under Article 187 of the RA Code on Administrative Offences, with a fine of 50,000 AMD (the maximum possible amount for this article). Simultaneously, a directive was issued to the manager of the economic entity to remedy the identified violations," the response indicates. The inspection agency has sent a letter regarding the necessity to halt the gas station’s operation to the Mayor of Yerevan.

“It should also be noted that the inspection agency has not provided any type of conclusion or permit regarding the aforementioned address,” the inspectors note.

The municipality also communicated that appropriate notice was issued to immediately cease operations. In turn, the Yerevan municipality states that in 2010 a construction permit was granted at the specified address, but, in fact, a permit to sell gasoline was not granted, as there is no established list of documents required for the issuance of liquid fuel sales permits. Technical safety control must be carried out by specialized organizations as per the established procedure.

“Liquid fuel sales and permits to operate after 24:00 have been granted to those economic entities that have paid the local fee as required by law, submitted applications, state registry certificates, and copies of property certificates. From 2009 until 2022, local taxes have been paid for a total of five addresses to the relevant account of the Arabkir administrative district in accordance with the law and applications with supporting documents have been submitted. Thus, permits for liquid fuel sales as well as for operating after 24:00 have been issued,” the municipality's response indicates.

According to the municipality, "CPS Oil" LLC paid 3 million AMD for a local fee for the liquid fuel sales permit and 600,000 AMD for the operating permit after 24:00 in January of the current year. The municipality emphasizes that the Arabkir district administration received applications for selling permits in multiple gas stations operated by CPS, but only one gas station, specifically the one at 52/7 Aghbyur Serob Street, has not received a permit.

“"CPS Oil" LLC has been suitably notified about the immediate cessation of operations, and it has also been clarified about the legal consequences in case of non-compliance,” the municipality emphasizes in its response.

Notably, according to information received from the tax authorities, the gas station at 52/7 Aghbyur Serob Street paid 7 billion 621 million 198 thousand AMD in taxes and fees during the period from January 1, 2022, to July 31, 2022.

Additionally, it is significant that the owner of CPS is a former general of Russian special services. The issue being raised is not unique within Yerevan. Last year, “Hetq” reported that 97% of gas stations in the capital operate with violations. The publication also referred to "CPS Oil", one of the major gasoline importers in Armenia. According to an investigation by the website, "CPS Oil Corporation" was founded by Ashot Salazaryan, a former general of Russian special services, in 2012. In 2013, Arthur Danielyan became a shareholder in the company, while in 2019, Salazaryan regained ownership and became the executive body’s leader. In 2017, Salazaryan established "CPS Oil" LLC, and two years later, all shares were acquired by Arthur Danielyan. As of 2020, "CPS Oil" was one of the largest gasoline importers in Armenia. The inspection agency conducted monitoring at 38 gas stations within this network in Yerevan, finding construction norms violations at 37 of them. Currently, according to the company's official website, there are 28 gas stations operating in the city, as reported by FIP.am.