Epress.am News from Armenia
A 28-year-old man, Vigen Davtyan, blocked traffic on Yerevan-Ashtarak highway, on the administrative territory of the village of Kasakh, Kotayk province, setting rocks and tires on the road and subsequently burning them, Shamshyan.com reports.
Speaking to photojournalist Gagik Shamshyan, the man justified his actions saying that he has repeatedly applied to the Ministry of Transport and Communication, and, specifically, to Minster Gagik Beglaryan to find a solution to the improvement of transport in Kasakh village. However, as stated by Davtyan, instead of fixing the problem, the minister has persistently been shifting responsibility from himself and redirecting the man's appeal to Yerevan municipality. Meanwhile, rural transport issue in the indicated administrative area has to be resolved by the Ministry, the protester claimed.
“In Hoktemberyan (Armavir province of Armenia) villagers blocked the road, and the issue was resolved. I thought if I did the same our problems would also be fixed. They opened a funeral home by the road, and traffic is paralyzed every time there is a ceremony. One transport is not enough, we need more, while the Minister shrugs off all of our proposals and tries to fool us,” Davtyan said.
Local residents also told the photojournalist that the transport issue concerned the whole village: “Vigen's not at fault; he was forced to succumb to this desperate measures since he's not received a truthful answer from the transport minister.”
According to Shamshyan.com, before the arrival of the firefighters the villagers had extinguished the road fire themselves.
Note, only one regular bus – No. 37- connects the village of Kasakh to capital Yerevan. The many students of the village find it difficult to get to Yerevan due to busy traffic. In addition, they have to change buses to reach the city center.