Artashat Municipality Moving Residents of Dilapidated Hotel to an Old Kindergarten

For residents of a former hotel in the center of the town of Artashat, a municipal order has spread stating that residents leave their dwellings as soon as possible. According to the official justification, the building needs to be remodeled and residents of the semi-dilapidated hotel need to leave by April 15.

Overall, about ten families live in the building. The municipality made a proposition to a few families to be relocated to an old kindergarten building on Tumanyan St. in Artashat. Laura Poghosyan, a refugee from Baku who has resided in the building since 1991, told Epress.am that they have made delineating lines with chalk on the floor of the kindergarten auditorium. Basically, there are no walls, and residents have to construct them themselves.

“My son is going to be drafted into the Army in May, he’s 17-years old, basically he has to live on the street for months. If they throw us out, I won’t let them take my son to the army. I haven’t been able to keep my daughter here either, I’ve given her to relatives to live in Ararat,” said Laura Poghosyan.

The hotel building is not much different than the street; some of the staircases are no longer passable, there is no water, sewage does not work, residents bath at their friends' or relatives' homes. Certain rooms do not even have electricity. Veteran Vardan Tovmasyan’s room does not have neither light nor heat. Another resident, Gagik Gevorgyan has become disabled, losing 8 of his fingers because of the cold. Gevorgyan also said that he's unable to construct a home in the kindergarten. Residents in the hotel burn trash in order to keep warm. “They privatized the building in 2004, until now we don’t know who the owner is, we only know Mr. Muradyan, he is the director of the hotel. He collects the rent,” said Gevorkyan.

According to Gevorgyan, the residents pay 4 to 10 thousand dram ($8 to $21) depending on the room. Armen Muradyan, the hotel’s director, told Epress.am that he does not take money from vulnerable families. As to the dislocation of the residents, Muradyan said that residents would be allowed to stay until construction work begins, however it is still not clear when construction would start.

“The governor’s office only said that if you (families) do not want to receive an area in the kindergarten, then tell us, we will give it to other vulnerable families,” stated Muradyan.