Monday, May 13 2019 22:28

ArmInfo. Yerevan Municipality has developed a funding model for the replacement of obsolete elevators in the capital. The municipality estimates the cost of the program at  33 billion drams. Yerevan Vice-Mayor Hayk Sargsyan said this at  today's press conference, noting that about 3,600 elevators need  total renovation in Yerevan.

According to the mayor's office, the lifespan of the elevators has  expired in 90% of apartment buildings.  According to the sounded  statistics, over the past 6 years, as a result of accidents in the  elevator sector in Yerevan, 6 people died, 5 people received physical  injuries.

Commenting on the statement of Yerevan Mayor Hayk Marutyan that the  replacement of elevators will be carried out at the expense of the  residents of the capital, Sargsyan called this decision quite  reasonable and logical, as citizens should pay for this and any other  work that is carried out in the public sphere of Armenia, citing ,  planting works, as well as the development of transport  infrastructure.

<All these works are carried out with the financing of citizens who  enter the budget of the capital in the form of taxes and duties.  Naturally, none of the previous mayors implemented the program from  their own means, "he said, at the same time noting that the Yerevan  Mayor's Office is implementing a pilot program to replace 1,600  elevators that have been decommissioned.

In addition, the deputy mayor, stressed that without the consent of  the residents of the capital, there will be no imperative and  mandatory action by the mayor's office.

According to estimates, the metropolitan mayor's office will need  3.5-4 years to replace 3,600 elevators, while it will take 35-40 days  to replace one elevator, provided that 80 brigades will work  simultaneously.  Sargsyan also noted that the development of this  program required the city authorities about 3 months, stressing that  the Yerevan Municipality, working on the implementation of a model  for the elevator sector, tried to take into account the social  component of the project, thus proposing a model that minimizes the  financial burden on family budget.

At the same time, the vice-mayor explained that there is no question  of any subsidies in this area, since the elevators, along with the  apartments, are the property of the citizens. "Our financing model  implies the connection of international resources, thanks to which,  the amount of investments will be covered in a monthly segment,"  explained he. To the question of journalists about why citizens  should pay extra for any services, if the capital's 31 billion budget  is annually generated by taxes paid by citizens, the deputy mayor  explained: <If you want a new product, you have to make new  investments. Talking about expectations that the municipality will  cover these expenses is not serious, as the budget of the  municipality is 31 billion drams. If we replace the elevators with  this money, it will mean that we will not have enough money for other  projects.  According to Sargsyan, the developed financing model will  be presented to the Armenian government in the near future. <This  model implies that the municipality will allocate part of the money  from the city budget, the rest of the municipality with the support  of the state will take in the form of loans at low interest rates  from international funds. Thus, residents will have to pay both  budgetary and credit funds. If today one family pays an average of  1,600 drams per month for lift services, then after replacing the  elevator this amount will increase by 30%, "he explained.