SHAMLOUGH, LORI MARZ: TOWN PROPERTY REVERTED TO MINE OWNERS AFTER INDEPENDENCE
Larisa Paremuzyan

200 9/09/28 | 18:00

The town of Shamlough is one of the mining extraction sites in Lori
Marz. The villages of Shamlough, Bendik, Boughaqar and Verin Akhtala
are located within its administrative borders. During the waning days
of the Soviet Union, Shamlough had a population of 4,000, including
a large number of Azeris. Today, only 800 residents remain.

Despite the presence of some twenty copper mines, the Shamlough
community budget receives little revenue from local mining
activities. According to community Mayor Lendroush Bezhanyan a mere
56,000 AMD trickles into the budget from property taxes. He says that
some 80-100 Shamlough residents work at the three mines now operating
in the district. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the living
standards of residents have dropped considerably, mainly due to a
lack of adequate employment. Here, residents mainly get by on the
natural resources culled from the rich forests surrounding Shamlough.

The town of Shamlough is visibly withering away as well. "In the past,
there were a few core Armenian families in the town and they have
stayed on. The rest of the populace was comprised of Greeks and Azeris.

The Greeks, out of economic necessity, resettled in Greece, and the
Azeris left for reasons known to all.

Afterwards, people came from Tiflis, Yerevan and other places,
purchased homes, boarded the doors and then left. We don’t see those
people; the homes have become summer resorts." The mayor says that
those presently engaged in the mining sector, contrary to the Soviet
era, do not reinvest in the local development projects or in improving
the social lot of residents. Shamlough lacks a kindergarten, cultural
house or hospital.

Soviet-era property handed over to mine owners

The buildings housing these institutions back in the Soviet period
still stand but they’ve long since ceased operating as such. "They were
never allocated to the town; they were never included in the property
transfer deeds. They all belong to the Akhtala mining enrichment
plant. The kindergarten and cultural center aren’t serving the needs
of the community and there’s only a clinic housed on the second floor
of the hospital building," the mayor said.

When asked why he hasn’t asked that these buildings be turned over to
the municipality, L. Bezhanyan responded, "According to RoA government
Decision 451, not only these buildings but all the property belonging
to the pre-existing enterprises should have been turned over to the
municipality but they weren’t.

I am at a loss to say who prevented the transfer and why. The
municipality presently has no edifices under its jurisdiction, so
how can I possibly receive the kindergarten or cultural center."

During the post-Soviet period, the only substantial work projected
completed in Shamlough was the capital renovation of a 9.5 kilometer
stretch of Akhtala-Shamlough roadway. The mayor said that the work
was financed by the state but he didn’t know the actual cost. The
construction contractor was "Titanyan Brothers, Ltd." and company
Director Samvel Titanyan stated that roadway work commenced in
2006 and 538.4 million AMD had been allocated by the state for the
project. That year, 2.3 kilometers were renovated at a cost of 72.1
million. The rest of the projected was completed in 2008 and this year.

1.7 million for purchase of garbage truck

The community budget had forecasted 2008 revenues at 17.9 million but
by year’s end actual revenues totaled 24.6 million. The surplus revenue
came from the sale of lands of 15 million. In 2008, the municipality
budgeted 8.5 million for machinery costs; a sizeable amount given its
limited budgetary resources. Mayor Bezhanyan purchased a garbage truck
for 1.7 million for trash collection. The surplus at the end of 2008
amounted to 12 million. 2009 revenues were forecast at 12 million and
as of August 1 some 9.5 million had actually been realized. The mayor
has also budgeted 7.5 million this year for machinery maintenance
and repair.

During our conversation, Mayor Lendroush Bezhanyan stated that 7
million had been allocated from this year’s budget for repairs on the
town’s internal water distribution system. "Shamlough has no water
issues and I am hopeful that the water situation will only improve
with repairs to the distribution system," he said.

In this year’s budget, 8 million in state assistance has been credited
as revenue. Locally earned revenues make of 6-7 million of the budget,
loans exceed 5 million and land taxes amount to 200,000. "Land tax
debts stand at around 2 million. These are the taxes accumulating on
lands owned by residents who have since relocated and now longer pay,"
he said.

Clearly, the paltry municipal budget cannot provide adequate
community services. None of the town’s neighborhoods have
overhead lighting. Residents also claimed that the town has no gas
supply. During our visit, residents said that the neighborhood
of Bendik had been without electricity for three days due to
lightning. The mayor assured us that electricians were working on
the problem as we spoke.

Mayor Bezhanyan noted that his top priority was the repair of roofs
atop multi-family dwellings. "We have thirteen multi-family buildings
whose roofs haven’t been repaired since independence. We are now
asking the state for help to remedy the problem."