EcoLur
Gndevaz Village, Vayots Dzor Region, is in fever in regard with the sale of land areas to Lydian International Company as represented by its subsidiary – “Geoteam” CJSC. The company is planning to construct a heap leach facility on these land areas and to extract gold from the ore in Amulsar mine. Reminder: still in 2014 Geoteam Company informed residents about the conditions how it intends to buy their land areas. Mainly these land areas are occupied with orchards and forage grass. In each individual case the size of the land area, the age of trees and the cost of the future harvest were assessed.
EcoLur team visited Gndevaz Village and found out the following: the dispersion of the funds for land area purchase is extremely high. For a short time period some villagers received from the company from one million to hundred million AMD (for example, people mention US $ 450,000 for one transaction. We succeeded to read an agreement, which says that 1,338,690 AMD (around US $ 2800) should be paid for an orchard having 0.1779 ha area. We sought to learn the exact amount of the largest sums, nevertheless, the villages refused to tell us. The villagers said they would probably leave the village, as it will be impossible to live because of the risks of the heap leach facility. With the development of Amulsar project, few of land sellers connect their future with this mine. What rural “millionaires” did first was to buy cars, while the richest bought apartments in Yerevan.
“The village has 320 households, out of which 130 households agreed to the transaction, and they naturally signed that they agree to Amulsar mine development, thus harming both me and the others. They didn’t understand that their signatures would harm both me and my children. The whole process went wrong. A genera survey is needed whether we agree or not, whether to sell or not. If the sellers of land areas resettle, let them resettle all of us,” said Armen Hamabardzumyan, a Gndevaz villager.
The process of land acquisition is characteristic with the fact that rich people became richer, while poor people sold their small land areas and lost their earnings. In reply to EcoLur’s question, why they sold it in that case, the villagers replied, “We didn’t take part with the whole village, so they sold it without us…All larger land areas are already bought by the company, and we had to sell them…If we didn’t agree, we wouldn’t get anything… Whoever has opportunity to leave the village, they will, whoever not, they will suffer…”
But not all Gndevaz villagers follow this logic: Samvel Poghosyan refused to sell his land areas and substantiates it as follows: “I get furious when they started intimidating me that they will apply “eminent public domain”, if I refuse to sell my land area. The law enables solving insoluble conflicts through recognizing the land areas as ‘eminent domain’. If the government can tell it to me, why a company, which obeys to another offshore company registered on some islands can intimidate me with “eminent domain”? I asked them who will recognize my land areas as eminent domain. They replied – the government and I told them to give the document and I will sign it…Eminent public domain is considered to be a monster, which is used for intimidation, but eminent public domain doesn’t mean that my land area must be seized.”
The conflict of interests among Gndevaz villagers is becoming tenser: A question is left what people should do, who didn’t get any compensations, and they don’t have any place from cyanide risks and mining industry and they will incur loss in their agricultural products.
Sevak Mkrtchyan, Gndevaz villager, “I live in the village. After all this staff started, I mowed grass in Amulsar, but when I brought the grass, the cattle didn’t eat it. The company said there was no poison, but the animals didn’t eat the grass. The company said it’s not hazardous, but is hazardous. I am worried about my health and heath of my children… ”
Alik Mnatsakanyan, Gndevaz villager, “I have 3 ha of apricot orchards downwards, next to the area which is sold, but nobody buys my land areas. Why to buy them? They bought from whoever it was designed… People sold their land areas, will leave and but apartments in the city, who has no means, I don’t know what will happen to them. Nothing good will happen.”
Residents: “…Don’t think, if several people agreed, we all are “for” it. No, many people are against… Money affected all, money…”
June 17, 2015 at 14:18