Gold Market Will Not Operate Until Deficiencies Are Rectified: Elena Zohrabyan

The "Vagharsh and Sons" concern has been found to have over 10 violations. This information was provided to Sputnik Armenia by Elena Zohrabyan, spokesperson for the Armenian State Inspection Committee for Urban Development, Technical and Fire Safety.

Yesterday, the inspection committee announced that the "Gold Market" has been closed due to numerous deficiencies and violations of fire safety regulatory documents.

"Based on the directive of the head of the inspection committee dated January 25, 2023, we conducted a fire technical investigation there. As a result, a report was drawn up which indicated that more than 10 violations were found in the shopping center. All of them pertained to the absence of fire safety regulatory requirements," said Zohrabyan.

According to her, based on the violations, an administrative proceeding has been initiated, and it has been determined that the operation of the facility poses an immediate threat of fire and danger to public safety.

Zohrabyan added that the shopping center will not operate until the deficiencies are rectified. "In 2021, we issued an order regarding the deficiencies recorded in the shopping center, and they had a period of 1 year and 3 months to rectify them, but only partial measures were taken. The recorded violations can be rectified, for example, by installing an anti-smoke protection system in the corridors or having automatic fire extinguishing systems, and ensuring free movement of people at evacuation exits," she noted.

She also stated that if the shopping center reports that the deficiencies have been eliminated, the inspection committee will need to visit the site, assess the situation, and decide whether to revoke the closure order.

Sputnik Armenia was informed by the "Vagharsh and Sons" concern that work is currently underway to address the identified deficiencies.

"Deficiencies have been recorded that are present in all other shopping centers. Intense work is currently being done in the structure, and we hope to rectify the deficiencies within a day," said the company.

It is worth noting that the Armenian inspection committee decided to suspend the operations of the "Malatia" market starting February 1, as the operator had not rectified some of the 17 violations recorded. On February 1, staff members of the market held a protest demanding more time for management to correct the deficiencies. Significant work has been carried out by the owners of the "Malatia" market during these days, and a request has been submitted to the inspection committee to summarize the completed work and make a decision regarding the resumption of market operations.