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MAYOR AGAIN DEFENDS KIOSK CONSTRUCTION IN YEREVAN PARK
Anna Israelian, Karlen Aslanian
http://www.azatutyun.am/content/article/24505850.html
05.03.2012
Armenia - Civic activists continue to protest against the construction
of kiosks in a Yerevan public park,
Mayor Taron Markarian again defended at the weekend the controversial
construction of kiosks in a public park in downtown Yerevan which
has sparked protests by environmentalists and other civic activists.
In an interview with RFE/RL's Armenian service (Azatutyun.am),
Markarian said the nearly one dozen large kiosks will stand there for
only three years and not damage any trees. He also cited the need to
protect the property rights of their owners.
The shops mainly selling clothing were previously located on the
sidewalk of a major street in the city center. They were dismantled
along with hundreds of other kiosks across Yerevan last year.
Armenia -- Yerevan mayor Taron Markarian in an interview with RFE/RL
Armenian Service, Yerevan, 03Mar2012xArmenia -- Yerevan mayor Taron
Markarian in an interview with RFE/RL Armenian Service, Yerevan,
03Mar2012 â~@~Kâ~@~KEnvironment protection and other civic groups
condemned the choice of a new location for those properties, saying
that they would inflict further damage on Yerevan's green areas that
have shrunk significantly over the past decade. They also say that
the municipal administration failed to follow all legal procedures
before issuing the construction permit.
Dozens of mostly young activists have staged daily sit-ins in the park,
forcing the authorities to effectively suspend the construction work
late last month.
Markarian spoke of his deep respect for the protesters but indicated
that the kiosk construction will resume soon. "The young people
[demonstrating] there really care about green areas and ecology,"
he said. "But they should not show that care in that way."
The 33-year-old mayor claimed that the kiosk owners were offered
the temporary relocation option because the municipality lacks the
funds to compensate them for the loss of their businesses. He said
the owners of some 700 other dismantled kiosks were not paid such
compensation because they did not operate legally.
The outcry over the shop construction reflects growing anger among
politically active Armenians with the shrinkage of public parks
across the city. Virtually all of them are now dotted with cafes,
restaurants and other commercial properties. The authorities have
until now essentially ignored less vocal and radical forms of protest
against Yerevan's deforestation.
Markarian, who is a senior member of President Serzh Sarkisian's
Republican Party of Armenia, said his administration understands these
concerns. He said it will triple this year spending on the maintenance
and expansion of municipal parks and planting of new trees elsewhere
in Yerevan.
Anna Israelian, Karlen Aslanian
http://www.azatutyun.am/content/article/24505850.html
05.03.2012
Armenia - Civic activists continue to protest against the construction
of kiosks in a Yerevan public park,
Mayor Taron Markarian again defended at the weekend the controversial
construction of kiosks in a public park in downtown Yerevan which
has sparked protests by environmentalists and other civic activists.
In an interview with RFE/RL's Armenian service (Azatutyun.am),
Markarian said the nearly one dozen large kiosks will stand there for
only three years and not damage any trees. He also cited the need to
protect the property rights of their owners.
The shops mainly selling clothing were previously located on the
sidewalk of a major street in the city center. They were dismantled
along with hundreds of other kiosks across Yerevan last year.
Armenia -- Yerevan mayor Taron Markarian in an interview with RFE/RL
Armenian Service, Yerevan, 03Mar2012xArmenia -- Yerevan mayor Taron
Markarian in an interview with RFE/RL Armenian Service, Yerevan,
03Mar2012 â~@~Kâ~@~KEnvironment protection and other civic groups
condemned the choice of a new location for those properties, saying
that they would inflict further damage on Yerevan's green areas that
have shrunk significantly over the past decade. They also say that
the municipal administration failed to follow all legal procedures
before issuing the construction permit.
Dozens of mostly young activists have staged daily sit-ins in the park,
forcing the authorities to effectively suspend the construction work
late last month.
Markarian spoke of his deep respect for the protesters but indicated
that the kiosk construction will resume soon. "The young people
[demonstrating] there really care about green areas and ecology,"
he said. "But they should not show that care in that way."
The 33-year-old mayor claimed that the kiosk owners were offered
the temporary relocation option because the municipality lacks the
funds to compensate them for the loss of their businesses. He said
the owners of some 700 other dismantled kiosks were not paid such
compensation because they did not operate legally.
The outcry over the shop construction reflects growing anger among
politically active Armenians with the shrinkage of public parks
across the city. Virtually all of them are now dotted with cafes,
restaurants and other commercial properties. The authorities have
until now essentially ignored less vocal and radical forms of protest
against Yerevan's deforestation.
Markarian, who is a senior member of President Serzh Sarkisian's
Republican Party of Armenia, said his administration understands these
concerns. He said it will triple this year spending on the maintenance
and expansion of municipal parks and planting of new trees elsewhere
in Yerevan.