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Mad as Hail: Villagers block roads in demand for weather-damage compensation
SOCIETY | 21.05.13 | 16:48
Photolure
By GAYANE MKRTCHYAN
ArmeniaNow reporter
Residents of more than 30 villages of the Ararat Valley, which
suffered major damage because of the 30-minute non-stop hail a few
days ago, periodically block interstate and intrastate highways and
roads demanding compensation from the government of Armenia.
`All is left from my vineyard are branches, it was like earthquake
which broke our spine. Let the state mediate with the banks to freeze
their interests for two years, give us new loans for which they would
not demand interest to be paid during the year ahead,' says Karlen
Danielyan, resident of Shenavan village, Armavir province.
According to Armavir local government, 12,811 farmers, 10,931 hectares
of land have suffered from the hail; some rural communities saw 100
percent damage, others between 50-100 percent.
Along with the expected hike in natural gas tariff which by chain
effect will cause inflation in many other spheres, concerns keep
growing that fruit and vegetable prices will go up as well.
By blocking the roads desperate villagers are trying to make their
voice of protest and plea for help reach the country and government
leaders, demanding a meeting exclusively with them. Haykavan village
head Mamikon Gevorgyan says their only demand is for the banks to
freeze their interests for two years, because only in the second year
vineyards will yield crops.
`Only if pruned correctly the vines will grow new branches, but that's
questionable too, because many cut their vineyards from roots. Among
the 308 entities 95 percent have bank loans to pay. Last year some
people were granted loans with 14 percent interest rate, but before
loans were taken with 22-24 percent interest rates. The average loan
[villagers have taken] is over half a million drams ($1,200),'
Gevorgyan told ArmeniaNow, detailing that it is about 26 billion
drams' worth damage in total, which is around $65 million.
On Monday Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan stated there would not be any
compensation, only support.
Vice-premier Armen Gevorgyan, minister of territorial administration,
told the protesting villagers that the government is discussing four
directions of assistance, related to the loans and bank liabilities,
increase of anti-hail stations and their efficiency, assistance
through various infrastructures, and others, which implies also
financial support.
The damage would have been much milder if the existing 55 anti-hail
stations of the region worked on time; for this they had to be
charged, while in many of the communities they were out of service,
due to no money to run them.
Robert Hovsepyan, leading the Armenian State Hydro-Meteorological
Monitoring Service (ASHMS) at the Ministry of Emergency Situations
(MES), stated that it is the village administration's duty to maintain
the anti-hail stations, but MES often did it for them. The goal now is
to take all the anti-hail stations across the country under MES's
control.
Rural community budgets, made of state subsidies and villagers' taxes,
can hardly cover local expenses. A clear-cut state policy is needed,
and villages should be relieved of the responsibility for anti-hail
stations. It took millions of dollars in damage to finally decide to
take those under MES supervision.
It should be noted that the RA Control Chamber's latest report on
budget expenditures of the ministry of agriculture has revealed extra
expenses budgeted in, supposedly, for the installation of anti-hail
stations: 15.5 million drams ($37,000), 5.6 million drams ($13,000) of
which was in 2009 and 9.9 million drams ($235,000) in 2010.
http://armenianow.com/society/46306/armavir_hail_stations_tigran_sargsyan
From: Baghdasarian
SOCIETY | 21.05.13 | 16:48
Photolure
By GAYANE MKRTCHYAN
ArmeniaNow reporter
Residents of more than 30 villages of the Ararat Valley, which
suffered major damage because of the 30-minute non-stop hail a few
days ago, periodically block interstate and intrastate highways and
roads demanding compensation from the government of Armenia.
`All is left from my vineyard are branches, it was like earthquake
which broke our spine. Let the state mediate with the banks to freeze
their interests for two years, give us new loans for which they would
not demand interest to be paid during the year ahead,' says Karlen
Danielyan, resident of Shenavan village, Armavir province.
According to Armavir local government, 12,811 farmers, 10,931 hectares
of land have suffered from the hail; some rural communities saw 100
percent damage, others between 50-100 percent.
Along with the expected hike in natural gas tariff which by chain
effect will cause inflation in many other spheres, concerns keep
growing that fruit and vegetable prices will go up as well.
By blocking the roads desperate villagers are trying to make their
voice of protest and plea for help reach the country and government
leaders, demanding a meeting exclusively with them. Haykavan village
head Mamikon Gevorgyan says their only demand is for the banks to
freeze their interests for two years, because only in the second year
vineyards will yield crops.
`Only if pruned correctly the vines will grow new branches, but that's
questionable too, because many cut their vineyards from roots. Among
the 308 entities 95 percent have bank loans to pay. Last year some
people were granted loans with 14 percent interest rate, but before
loans were taken with 22-24 percent interest rates. The average loan
[villagers have taken] is over half a million drams ($1,200),'
Gevorgyan told ArmeniaNow, detailing that it is about 26 billion
drams' worth damage in total, which is around $65 million.
On Monday Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan stated there would not be any
compensation, only support.
Vice-premier Armen Gevorgyan, minister of territorial administration,
told the protesting villagers that the government is discussing four
directions of assistance, related to the loans and bank liabilities,
increase of anti-hail stations and their efficiency, assistance
through various infrastructures, and others, which implies also
financial support.
The damage would have been much milder if the existing 55 anti-hail
stations of the region worked on time; for this they had to be
charged, while in many of the communities they were out of service,
due to no money to run them.
Robert Hovsepyan, leading the Armenian State Hydro-Meteorological
Monitoring Service (ASHMS) at the Ministry of Emergency Situations
(MES), stated that it is the village administration's duty to maintain
the anti-hail stations, but MES often did it for them. The goal now is
to take all the anti-hail stations across the country under MES's
control.
Rural community budgets, made of state subsidies and villagers' taxes,
can hardly cover local expenses. A clear-cut state policy is needed,
and villages should be relieved of the responsibility for anti-hail
stations. It took millions of dollars in damage to finally decide to
take those under MES supervision.
It should be noted that the RA Control Chamber's latest report on
budget expenditures of the ministry of agriculture has revealed extra
expenses budgeted in, supposedly, for the installation of anti-hail
stations: 15.5 million drams ($37,000), 5.6 million drams ($13,000) of
which was in 2009 and 9.9 million drams ($235,000) in 2010.
http://armenianow.com/society/46306/armavir_hail_stations_tigran_sargsyan
From: Baghdasarian