Epress.am News from Armenia
Yerevan mayor Karen Karapetyan on Wednesday paid a visit to a new playground built in one of the yards on Pushkin St. in central Yerevan.
Residents of the buildings at 42 Koghbatsi St., 40 Pushkin St., 23 and 25 Teryan St., and 37 Lalayants St. had organized a demonstration during the mayor’s visit.
Earlier, Epress.am reported that residents were protesting the construction of a high-rise building by the firm Local Developers [owned by notorious businessman, owner of the Second Armenian (H2) TV Channel Company Samvel Mayrapetyan], which has resulted in the children being deprived of a play area in the yard. The building of a new playground in another yard prompted the residents to approach the mayor with their issue.
The poster held by protesting residents read, “Our children also want to have a playground.”
Speaking to Epress.am, resident of 21 Teryan St. Vardan Geravetyan said there was a big fuss prior to the mayor’s visit as head of the Kentron (Center) administrative district Gagik Gyanjumyan and members of his staff attempted to hinder their protest.
“But they were unsuccessful; we demanded that they allow us to hold this protest. Then we met with Karen Karapetyan, to whom we presented our problem. He said, let’s go and see. Together, we went; he looked. It was very odd; I got the impression that he wasn’t that informed to what was going on. He promised to look into the matter and instructed the district head to meet with us tomorrow at 10 am,” he said.
Geravetyan also reminded the mayor that it was he (the mayor) who gave the permission — last year on Dec. 30 — for construction work on the site.
According to Geravetyan, this surprised the mayor and he instructed the head of the Kentron administrative district to find out what’s going on there.