THE CREDITOR TOOK THE LAND

A1+
[12:19 pm] 13 June, 2006

Shirak village of Shirak region faces hard times.

According to the region head little changes have been registered in
the village since the 1988 earthquake.

In the village head’s words the inhabitants of the cottage district are
deprived of the right of privatization because of the wrong decision
of the executive committee.

It is inefficient to be engaged in the agriculture work in the
region. On the one hand, the soil is not fertile and on the other it
doesn’t belong to the Shirak residents any longer. Many of them took
credits in order to cultivate their lands but their expectations were
not justified.

Many people in the region having 1200 inhabitants and 310 farms were
unable to pay the credit back. As a result of it the bank took the
lands put in pledge.

The total debt of the village is about 85 million AMD.

According to village head Karen Haroutyunyan there were many programs
which could have facilitated the social state of the peasants provided
they were implemented.

There was an offer to change the water system completely in the recent
period. In order to implement the program the community was to pay
either the 10% of the expenses or render its physical assistance free
of charge.

The two variants were ignored by the villagers.

The irrigation system is also in an awful state. The concrete tubs
haven’t been cleaned for a long time and as a result are full of
slime and rubbish as well as animal waste.

TV Company “Tsayg” of Gyumri.