Epress.am News from Armenia
Famous Armenian duduk player Djivan Gasparyan has responded to a complaint issued against him, assuming that those who’ve complained are the owners of the kiosks next to a satellite building of the Armenian State Pedagogical University on Alek Manukyan St. in Yerevan.
Residents of 15 Alek Manukyan St. and 7th street in the Yerevan district of Aygestan had sent a complaint to the Armenian president, asking him to respond to their concerns:
“In 2004, living legend, talented and distinguished duduk player Djivan Gasparyan decides to build for himself in the center of the city a luxurious house with high walls (in the children’s play area and green space across from building no. 1 on 7th St. in Aygestan).
“Djivan Gasparyan is respected and loved by the Armenian people, but does a person have to take advantage of people’s love and trust, does he have to see himself above others like him, that is, his neighbors?
“When he built his house (that was the start of his project), he directly destroyed about 500 square meters of green yard space which included 4 gazebos and a play area designated for children, with all the conveniences, where a few generations have grown up. In this way, he deprived our children from the cool shelter of tall trees in the heat of summer and a carefree childhood,” reads the residents’ complaint letter.
According to the residents, Gasparyan wants to open a new road leading up to his house.
Speaking to Epress.am, the musician presented his side of the story, while expressing concern over the barrier erected across from the university building.
“If there’s an earthquake tomorrow (which is quite natural), or a fire, what are we going to do here? We’re in a shameful situation. These students occasionally have cars — one riff-raff, one horrible vulgar [person], what are we going to do?”
According to him, the university closed the area so that it blocks entry to its yard, while the people, according to the Gasparyan, are in a difficult situation, having a hard time getting their cars out of their garages.
“I want our road how it was… when this building didn’t yet exist… they have a 15–20 year history. Our road was this, between two buildings — this is how we got to our houses. But now the garbage bins are placed there, see now, what a state it is: what about us, are we pigs? A person can’t even come to our house. The garages are lined up from one end to the other; there’s live cables just dangling in the air. If an ambulance were to come, the patient would die as it wouldn’t be able to get in. There’s no room for the car to park, for the ambulance to get in,” said Gasparyan, referring to the state of the only road leading to his house.
Asked if he lays down asphalt for a new road, will the kiosks in the area need to be removed, Gasparyan said, “I didn’t speak for the kiosks and I don’t want to talk [about it].”
The famous musician also responded to residents’ complaints that one part of his house was built on a space designated as a children’s play area.
“You believed it too, yeah?” he said. “That’s the place for my garage.”
Gasparyan said he’s been living in this house for 50 years, and, according to him, all this fuss was set up, fixed by the kiosk owners.
“The garage was permitted through a lawful city hall decision. I built a house for myself; it’s my property — I’ve bought it, I built it. Everyone can do it, but I can’t?” he said.
The issue, according to the duduk player, is that the aforementioned road is blocked because of cars. “We can’t come and go. They cry out, ‘a yard, a play area for children.’ First, you’ve just come here — don’t come and live in this building. Why would you come live here? You saw there was no place for children to play so you shouldn’t have come here to live. These are lies — we know our people well.”
One of the residents of building no. 15 told Epress.am that the children have no actual place to play. “Here is a pedagogical [university] where they don’t allow children to enter their yard.” According to the resident, they want to uproot the trees in the area in order to create a new road leading to garages for the cars.
“But there’s a street in a much better state at the back of the building. There’s a street; they can easily enter; how they’ve always entered the building. There’s no need at all to use this small portion, when the children don’t even have a yard,” she said.
The residents also noted that the road will pass directly in front of their home, which is dangerous and unacceptable — to come out of the entrance and immediately find yourself on the street.
“It’s dangerous for both children and adults, and for building residents in general,” they complained.