Gyumri Must Be Free of Shacks by 2027, Says Mayor

Gyumri must be free of shacks by 2027, according to a decision by the government. This was stated today by Gyumri Mayor Vardges Samsonyan during a press briefing with journalists, who informed that 58 shacks have been dismantled this year and the same number have been privatized.

About two hundred more shacks will be privatized if they meet urban planning standards. “Currently, we are working with various philanthropists to construct social housing and we are trying to get people out of shacks as quickly as possible. I personally lived in a shack for ten years; I know how difficult it is,” Mayor Vardges Samsonyan mentioned during the press briefing.

At present, there are still around 2,600 shacks in Gyumri, of which 2,002 are inhabited, while there are still 1,016 families registered on the waiting list for those left homeless after the earthquake.