New Program Being Developed to Completely Replace Elevators in Yerevan, Says Hayk Marutyan

A new program is being developed for the elevators in Yerevan, said the city’s Mayor Hayk Marutyan during a briefing with journalists today.

"From day one, we have been drafting a program to completely replace the elevators as part of a large-scale project. The program needs to be presented to the Government because it requires an investment of tens of millions of dollars, and we already have preliminary calculations," the mayor noted, emphasizing that efforts are being made to have the program ready within months.

According to Hayk Marutyan, inventory needs to be conducted first, followed by negotiations with manufacturers. "The elevators belong to the building residents, and they may even refuse to allow a replacement. However, we plan to replace them, and the residents will pay over the years,” he said.

Regarding criticism from the opposition questioning how the salaries of municipal employees could be raised if there is no money for elevators, Hayk Marutyan responded, "No additional funds are going to be allocated for salary increases. They are now saying that employees in the public sector are not paid enough, and it seems there’s a contradiction in their logic. Are we over-vegetating or not?"