According to ArmInfo and News.am Informational agencies
News.am. A discussion was held at the Aarhus Center in Yerevan on the mass tree cutting in Gymuri. Gevorg Petrosyan, the Coordinator of the Aarhus Center in Gyumri and the President of “Biosofia” NGO, presented the essence of the issue and the measures taken. “Association of Consumers” was the initiator for discussions.
As a reminder: mass tree cutting were carried out in the territory of an open café located next to the Savior Church in the Freedom Square this summer thus violating the Aarhus Convention and the requirement of RA Government decision № 660 dated on 28 October 1998. Approximately 40 trees and bushes were cut down, of which 12 were big trees.
As G. Petrosyan told Aysor, the “Association of Consumers” has applied to the prosecutor’s office on the basis of calls who is now investigating the case.
ArmInfo: The Association of Consumers in Armenia calls to make punishment for seizure of green territories stricter.
In the interview with ArmInfo correspondent, Ashot Mirzoyan, the Coordinator of Environmental Programs of ASC, advised the Association intends to come forward with an initiative to make the punishment for damage caused to green zones stricter. For this purpose ASC suggests to make amendments in the Code of Administrative Offences. “We have already drawn up the draft of an appropriate letter that we would like to send to the political parties represented in the National Assembly,” he said.
“In September the public attention was drawn to the elimination of 30 trees in the Freedom Square in Gyumri for the construction of a café. In regard to this fact we sent a letter to the Prosecutor General Aghvan Hovsepyan, and we have recently been informed that this letter has been passed to the Prosecutor’s Office in Shirak,” A. Mirzoyan said.
October 15, 2009