To solve housing problems of Gyumri, the city must have special status, says its Mayor

The housing problems of the Armenian city of Gyumri, which was severely damaged in 1988 by the Spitak earthquake, still remain unresolved. Samvel Balasanyan, the Mayor, said that in order to solve them, Gyumri should be awarded a special status that assumes special funding.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that the Spitak earthquake occurred on December 7, 1988, and seriously affected more than 340 villages and 20 cities. Over 25,000 people perished; and at least 500,000 lost their housings.

According to the Mayoralty of Gyumri, over 9000 residents continue living in trailers without heating and communal facilities. Out of 3520 trailers, 2970 ones are inhabited. Besides, some 1000 families live in 88 houses, recognized as emergency ones.

According to the Mayor, 1038 families are in the waiting list for housing under the state programme.

Over 26 years after the earthquake, Gyumri built houses with a total of 21,225 apartments; however, the ultimate solution of the problem still needs significant investments, Balasanyan has emphasized.

Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.