The Shushi knot is
Anahit Danielyan
31-05-2008 16:17:32 – KarabakhOpen
Recently certain progress has been reported in Shushi in the sphere of
construction. Recovery from the state of coma in which the town was
over the past few years is felt immediately on arriving in the town.
There are several signs on the road marking construction sites.
The change of the attitude of the government toward the town is felt
first of all by the inhabitants of Shushi. `One can notice change with
the naked eye. Over the past few months the president, the prime
minister visited here, who discussed definite issues here with us. The
officials even responded to media reports,’ said an elderly inhabitant
of Shushi in an interview with us, who returned to his native town
immediately after the liberation.
Today, 16 years after the liberation, Shushi reminds of a town at war.
Very little has been done to reconstruct the town after the war,
despite innumerable pledges. What has been reconstructed was thanks to
the people who moved to Shushi, repaired apartments which the
administration provided to them. There were also people and companies
who used the opportunity to acquire several houses and buildings and
did nothing to repair them, hoping to sell them expensively in future.
Now apparently the attitude toward those people has changed. The head
of the regional administration of Shushi Vardan Gabrielyan said in an
interview with us that it is time to reconstruct the town.
Besides the programs of the Rebirth of Shushi Foundation, a lot of work
is funded from the state budget (compared with last year, subsidy for
building went up by 60 percent). A number of government agencies and
offices will sit in Shushi, apartment buildings will be repaired.
One of the important actions is the denationalization of apartment
buildings which were taken up by separate people or organizations at
one time for one reason or another. The first example is the building
at 1 Manoogian Street two floors of which the owner provided to the
government to repair and accommodate people who wish to move to Shushi.
According to the head of the regional administration, soon it is
foreseen to repair and sell a building of 62 apartments, which is now
owned by a company, through a mortgage loan program.
Vardan Gabrielyan thinks that a serious approach to the settlement of
Shushi is necessary, preventing breaches and misappropriation. He
promised that as long as he occupies this post, there will be no
breaches.
Now there are no vacant apartments and even half-ruined houses in
Shushi, and a person who wishes to move to Shushi can only get land for
construction of a house. In addition, part of houses is owned by one
person. The head of the regional administration said they will be
trying to address to this issue in accordance with the law.