Construction Workers Tried to Pass Off Painted Pipes as New, Says Sanosyan on Subsidized Project Works

The government has made a decision to allocate funds to the administrations of Ararat, Armavir, Gegharkunik, Lori, Kotayk, and Shirak regions. This was reported by the Prime Minister's Office.

During a government session, Minister of Territorial Administration and Infrastructures Gnel Sanosyan stated that the decision proposes to allocate 885 million 178 thousand drams for 40 projects in 36 communities within the framework of subsidized programs aimed at the development of social and economic infrastructures of the communities in Armenia, implemented or in the implementation stage in 2020-2021.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan inquired about the functionality regarding the quality control of these works: “How confident are we that the subsidized programs are being implemented with adequate quality?”

In response, Gnel Sanosyan noted that appropriate ministry staff conduct visits to construction sites. “Unfortunately, there are quite a few instances where design and construction deficiencies are identified. If the construction workers do not meet the necessary standards, payment will not be made. There are cases where painted pipes are attempted to be presented as new. We are trying to prevent such instances and will act quite strictly,” said the minister, adding that there are cases regarding which the supervisory body has initiated proceedings.

Gnel Sanosyan also reported that if the construction workers do not correct the deficiencies within the established timeframe, they will be fined based on the number of days, and if they fail to correct them at all, payments will not be made.

Nikol Pashinyan emphasized the importance of oversight conducted by the regional administrations in this context.