29 July 2019, 14:48
Armenian government to grant housing to victims of Spitak earthquake
The Armenian authorities registered 453 families affected by the earthquake of 1988 to be moved from temporary buildings to new housing. About 6.3 million US dollars are planned to be allocated for the above purposes, Nikol Pashinyan announces.
The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that in December 2018, the Armenian government assured that the people affected by the earthquake of 1988 would receive housing by 2020.
The earthquake, known as "Spitak earthquake", occurred in Armenia exactly 30 years ago, on December 7, 1988. The highest seismic activity was registered near the village of Nalband, which had gone completely underground. Besides, the disaster also severely damaged 20 cities and more than 340 villages. The town of Spitak was destroyed completely, and Gyumri, Stepanavan, and Vanadzor partially. More than 25,000 people perished in the tragedy; at least 500,000 local residents lost their housing.
On July 26, there was a meeting of the working group on earthquake relief created by the government's initiative.
According to the working group's information as of June 28, in the Shirak, Lori, and Aragatsotn Regions, there are 7219 temporary buildings, in which about 25,000 people live.
Within the government programme, it was decided to allocate three billion drams (about 6.3 million US dollars) to solve the housing problem of the people who were recognized as beneficiaries of the government programme, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan stated.
According to the Prime Minister, there are two options for the implementation of the government programme: to provide people with certificates for the purchase of housing and to build housing. So far, it has not been finally decided yet which of those options will be chosen, notes the Armenian Prime Minister.
The "Caucasian Knot" correspondent has learned from Vaagn Vermishyan, the head of the working group, that 453 families are recognized as the beneficiaries of the government programme, and an individual approach will be applied to each family.
This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on July 29, 2019 at 10:04 am MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.
Author: Armine Martirosyan Source: CK correspondent
