New mayor of Yerevan pledges to resolve waste disposal problem
10.10.2018,
16:50
The new Mayor of Yerevan Hayk Marutyan said at his first press briefing in this capacity today that the municipality’s first step will be to find an effective solution to the waste disposal problem and only then switch to other issues.
YEREVAN, October 10. /ARKA/. The new Mayor of Yerevan Hayk Marutyan said at his first press briefing in this capacity today that the municipality’s first step will be to find an effective solution to the waste disposal problem and only then switch to other issues.
Throughout the summer trash service in the city was spotty, with dumpsters overflowing and angry residents complaining of smelly garbage littering their alleys. Some media stories claimed the problem was part of sabotage with a political context. Fears were raised that this situation was fraught with serious health consequences, especially on hot summer days.
However, these fears were denied by Sanitek which said that the refuse collection in Yerevan has always been and will be carried out in accordance with the agreement it signed with the municipality. It said one of the problems was that many of the garbage trucks were out of service.
"We will try to find a solution to this problem in the near future. We are ready to hold negotiations with Sanitek to demand that it carry out its work at the appropriate level. If it is unable to do it for objective reasons and lacks capacity to serve the entire city, then it will need help through bringing a second waste operator. If it manages to cope with the problem alone, and we, Yerevan residents, are satisfied, it seems to me that there will be no need for another operator, "said Marutyan.
He noted that legal foundations are necessary for termination of contracts if citizens express dissatisfaction with various services, but only according to a court decision.
Hayk Marutyan topped the list of candidates of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s My Step alliance which won over 80 percent of the vote in September 23 elections to Yerevan City Council of Elders. It now controls 57 of the 65 seats in the council.
Under Armenian law, the top candidate of a party or bloc that wins more than 50% of the vote automatically becomes Yerevan mayor. The inauguration of the new mayor will be held on October 13th. –0-
Throughout the summer trash service in the city was spotty, with dumpsters overflowing and angry residents complaining of smelly garbage littering their alleys. Some media stories claimed the problem was part of sabotage with a political context. Fears were raised that this situation was fraught with serious health consequences, especially on hot summer days.
However, these fears were denied by Sanitek which said that the refuse collection in Yerevan has always been and will be carried out in accordance with the agreement it signed with the municipality. It said one of the problems was that many of the garbage trucks were out of service.
"We will try to find a solution to this problem in the near future. We are ready to hold negotiations with Sanitek to demand that it carry out its work at the appropriate level. If it is unable to do it for objective reasons and lacks capacity to serve the entire city, then it will need help through bringing a second waste operator. If it manages to cope with the problem alone, and we, Yerevan residents, are satisfied, it seems to me that there will be no need for another operator, "said Marutyan.
He noted that legal foundations are necessary for termination of contracts if citizens express dissatisfaction with various services, but only according to a court decision.
Hayk Marutyan topped the list of candidates of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s My Step alliance which won over 80 percent of the vote in September 23 elections to Yerevan City Council of Elders. It now controls 57 of the 65 seats in the council.
Under Armenian law, the top candidate of a party or bloc that wins more than 50% of the vote automatically becomes Yerevan mayor. The inauguration of the new mayor will be held on October 13th. –0-
