State of emergency in Yerevan
Art critic Karine Hakobyan says the idea of Yerevan's chief architect to reconstruct Republic Square is nothing but a crime.
"A criminal should be put in prison, he cannot supervise the capital's architectural projects," she said.
Karine Danielyan, the president of the "For Sustainable Human Development" NGO, also expressed her concerns over the proposal to construct an underground passage in Republican Square.
"We can compare the project with the recent deadly gunfight in Goris, where permissiveness resulted in the death of one person. Here, they say, "Do you consider this a holy place, let us desecrate it."
Danielyan says everything is done to deprive Yerevan of its historical image. "He [chief architect Narek Sargsyan] seems to have taken a sword in his hands with an aim to destruct the entire city."
The environmentalist is not going to back down, she says the city is in a state of emergency as it has become an ‘abode' for snakes and scorpions; the construction underway in the capital has deprived them of their dens.
"Let Narek Sargsyan first apply to the Ministry of Emergency Situations to solve the problem of snakes and scorpions," she said.
The head of the Armenian Architects' Union, Mkrtich Minasyan, is also concerned over Yerevan municipality's tender announced for the reconstruction of the capital's main square. He says the reconstruction is illegal and Mayor Taron Margaryan is unaware of Narek Sargsyan's plans.
Minasyan does not agree with Sargsyan's explanations that the square needs to be reconstructed since its adjoining buildings no longer serve their primary functions.
"This cannot be viewed as justification for Sargsyan's plans. The buildings will continue to stand in their places," he said adding that Republic Square is a already completed structure.
He says Yerevan citizens do not clearly imagine what the chief architect is going to do with the square. Those who understand his plans are categorically against the project.
"The square is very beautiful and does not need reconstruction," said a citizen. "They want to build garages here but why?" said a second. "This is another way to launder money," added the third.
