Residents of Bryusov Street in the Central Community Signal Ongoing Emergency Situation

Residents of Bryusov Street in the Central community are raising alarms about the ongoing emergency situation. This is reported by the newspaper "Aravot."

The newspaper states: "According to the decision No. 263-N issued by the Minister of Urban Development of the Republic of Armenia on October 14, 2014, and in accordance with clause 11 of the annex of the construction norms established under the instruction ‘Urban Development: Urban and Rural Settlement Master Plans and Development’ (No. 30-01-2014), the necessity of preserving high-value agricultural lands and environmental restrictions must be taken into account when selecting areas for prospective developed territories in community master plans, while ensuring the safety and enhancement of land use effectiveness, and the mutual coordination and agreement of rights and interests of communities, property owners, and other land users."

Residents of Bryusov Street in the central district of Yerevan are claiming that their rights and interests as property owners are being trampled on daily. They report that there has been no permission from them for the construction of walls adjacent to their private houses and the excavation for multi-apartment buildings.

Residents of apartments 11/8, 12, and 13 on Bryusov Street have sent numerous complaints and applications to past and present Yerevan mayors, the police, the government, and the city hall's hotline before reaching out to the newspaper. However, construction work that began four years ago next to their homes has disrupted their peace.

Narine Danielyan’s father has owned this house since the 1950s, and the house itself dates back to 1928, built near the tram park, primarily for employees. Alongside these houses, a company named “Jermuk Group” is constructing the “Bryuselyak” multi-apartment complex with 23-25 floors (director of the company: Vladimir Poghosyan, constructor: Norair Movsisyan). According to complainants, the construction company has excavated pits next to their apartments without permission, even ignoring the three-meter distance requirement from their properties.

As a result, Narine Danielyan’s ceiling has shifted, cracks have appeared, plaster is falling from the walls, and the newly renovated house of her neighbor, Ms. Lena Hovhannisyan, has also seen increasing cracks on its walls.

The roofs of the houses are endangered, as an uncontrolled crane operates above them at various times of the day. Frequent disputes arise due to noise, dust, debris, and the disrespectful attitude of the construction workers. Occasionally, work continues at night.

Police who arrived at the site stated that they were not authorized to intervene in the situation, while complaints directed at the hotline are met with the automated response: "your case is in process, your case is in process."

Terrified residents are inviting specialists to determine how they can prevent the collapses and damage threatening their apartments, and whether the ongoing construction without permission could be halted until the residents' consent is obtained.

The newspaper notes that according to the expert conclusion from the National Institute of Standards and Measurement at the Ministry of Economy of Armenia, the noise levels exceed permissible levels, violating the established requirements of sanitary norms. Administrative proceedings have been initiated, and director Poghosyan was fined forty thousand drams.

“People are uncertain about what else they can expect after their walls are brutally damaged today. 'My ceiling is crumbling with plaster, wood, and dust is everywhere in our house. The supervisory body came and fined them; we have appealed to the Ministry of Environment. Our house shakes all day long, we’ve taken the children out of the houses. Let them show us a document proving we've given our consent. Residents of seven houses are in an emergency situation. We don’t want anything from them; we are threatened that they want to build a wall four or five meters high. We ask if they have permission, and the constructor says: ‘No, but it should be built as long as I'm here.’ They are excavating next to my wall without permission. According to the building norms approved by the Minister of Urban Development of Armenia, there should be a three-meter distance from residential areas,' the residents say.

Yerevan city officials visited the area two days ago. Yesterday, they informed one of the residents that they would come back to the area again.

“There is a tree under my wall, whose roots are encroaching on my house. They did not touch it, but they poured concrete. If I repair my house, if their wall collapses, will they not be responsible for it?” asks a resident, pointing to the tree.

As a result of the construction, houses will also be deprived of natural light. “They do not approach us at all, as if we are not people. They often mock us and use disrespectful language towards elderly women,” say the residents.

Previously, their houses had been surrounded by fruitful trees like mulberries, apricots, plums, apples, and fragrant flower gardens, all of which have now been leveled to the ground,” the newspaper reported.

For more details, refer to today’s issue of the newspaper.