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This year another 1,750 families are promised an apartment in Shirak province.
The reduced number of residential houses to be constructed in Gyumri worries residents who lost shelters after the Spitak earthquake (in 1988), and who are still waiting for their turn to get an apartment.
Last year the number of flats was reduced as well. Instead of the planned 1,320 apartments, only 1,056 were delivered to residents of Gyumri, and this year only 1,750 apartments will be ready instead of the planned 1,944.
According to the ‘Shirak Kentron’ (Shirak Center) NGO, the reason is that four-room apartments are built at the expense of reducing the number of one, two and three-room apartments.
Albert Margaryan, head of Urban Development Department of Shirak province Governor Office told ArmeniaNow that the number of apartments was not obligatory and that 190 families yet need 4-room apartments.
Because of the Spitak Earthquake, 22,060 families were left homeless, 19,056 of them have already been provided with apartments. This year an additional 1,750 will be added.
“I am afraid that this year as last year I will not get an apartment because of their reduction,” says 38-year-old Armenuhi Matevosyan, who lives in a one-room shelter with her 62-year-old mother and two adult children.
Shirak province Governor’s Office representatives promise that very soon they are going to choose whom they will provide with apartments first; and the remaining 1,254 families will be provided with apartments by 2013.
In 2010, construction works of 35.7 million drams ($99.6 million) were done in the urban development sector of Shirak province, and 38.2 billion drams ($105.5 million) is assigned for 2011.
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