Wednesday, 22 June 2005
Today RA Prime Minister A. Margaryan has called a consultative meeting to review the implementation of the program for priority housing of earthquake-hit families in the rural settlements of Lori and Shirak marzes.
The meeting was attended by RA ministers of Territorial Administration and Urban Development, the head of presidential control service, Lori and Shirak marz governors, adviser to the Prime Minister Gagik Martirosyan, the head of State Committee for Immovable Property Cadastre, heads of corresponding departments and representatives from the Office of Government, the concerned ministries and public agencies.
It was reported that in March, 2005, Lori and Shirak marz governors informed the Ministry of Urban Development of 109 households in Shirak marz and 310 families in Lori marz having been included in the priority list for housing support, in accordance with the said program. The June 6, 2005 presidential order-established task forces of the interagency commission had examined the lists of such homeless households residing in these 2 marzes as used to possess unfinished housings in rural settlements by taking notice of their actual condition and selection criteria. It was noted that along with a large amount of work carried out, several irregularities had taken place in both of the marzes in connection with the registration of homeless families. In particular, 12 households out of the 109 beneficiaries selected in Shirak marz and 11 families out of the 310 registered in Lori marz turned out to be not eligible as they had already been housed. A number of families enrolled in the two marzes had incurred a loss of only one residential house at the time of the earthquake and, having split up later on, were now claiming the construction of the secong unfinished building. 34 beneficiaries in Shirak marz and 137 others in Lori marz were living in roofed unfinished dwellings with the doors, windows and partitions already installed and the floors and interior decorations provided in part or in full. In some communities there were several quasi-complete buildings fit for habitation, the residents of which used to live in temporary shelters so as not to be crossed off the lists and keep on enjoying family benefits.
For the point of that, the Prime Minister mentioned that the State program for housing support to the homeless in Shirak and Lori marzes was originally regarded as a measure of rehabilitation rather than improvement and, therefore, the registers should be developed based on this very criterion. Mr. A. Margaryan instructed to keep on amending the lists and added that the problem consisted in the observance of priorities and not in striking out the beneficiaries.
Lori and Shirak marz governors were reprimanded for both the irregularities in the lists and the shortfalls in the compliance with the recommendations made by the interagency commission. Minister of Territorial Administration Hovik Abrahamyan was charged by the Prime Minister to examine the question of marz commissions' responsibility.
