Demolition of Covered Market was part of scheme – activist (photos)

The demolition of Yerevan's Covered Market was part of a dirty scheme as the construction was on the list of architectural monuments of republican significance, an activist has complained.
"This is not the first time the dirty scheme has been put into practice, with the territory being sold and later turning into a waste dump, causing all the residents [in the neighborhood] to dream of a clean area," blogger Izabella Abgaryan, an activist of the civil initiative Let's Save the Covered Market told a news conference on Tuesday.Addressing the problem, an acting lawmaker of the opposition Heritage party, Styopa Safaryan (who is also a member of the group) called for criminal liability, adding that they have already reported the police on the situation. He said the construction was pulled down without permission by competent authorities. 
Safaryan noted that the Urban Development Ministry had approved the plan to dismantle the market. without damaging its exterior.
As for Yerevan Mayor Taron Margaryan's statement that the City Hall has not sanctioned construction work on the territory, Safaryan said his words are more than incomprehensible.According to him, the mayor's functions should not be restricted only to saying whether or not there was any official permission.   Read more... (207 words)

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