One day, the residents living on the street named after Aram Cholakyan
in the heart of Zeytun noticed that the passage connecting their street
with the Vartanes Papzyan street was closed. There was sand on the
street, open for maybe 2-3 cars. Then the residents found out that the
sand was not foreseen for construction, but rather to close the street.
After a couple of days, they noticed that there are 3-4 metal tubes
going through the sand into the ground. It was then that the residents
living on the street of Aram Cholakyan realized that the sand had been
poured there so that the cars could stop passing through V. Papazyan.
That small passage was necessary for the residents living on Aram
Cholakyan to get out to Babayan street in a short time (that was where
the main headquarters of the Ministry of Defense was located). Now they
needed to find out who had done such a thing. Everyone blamed General
Vagharshak. General/Major Vagharshak Vartanyan is the head of the
department in control of the penalties issued by the prosecutor’s
office and other forms of constraints. His three floor villa is very
close to the closed site, but the main entrance is from Papazyan
street, meaning that that passage is not needed as a highway, but
rather, it bothers the general. “There is another exit through Ulnets
street. Let them go by there. It is just a couple of kilometers. That
passage is for pedestrians, not cars. What if a child gets run over by
a car? Who will take responsibility? I myself have two grandchildren,”
said the general. The residents think that the general has closed that
street because he doesn’t like noise. “What if there is a funeral
procession, a fire truck or ambulance has to come, do those cars have
to go around the Ulnets street just because the general wants some
peace and quiet?” complain the district residents. However, the general
denies the fact that he has closed the street. “I also saw sand poured
on the ground. I asked around and found out who had done it and why. I
have not poured the sand there, but I am in favor of closing that
street. Another thing: that sand is next to the neighbor’s house, not
mine. So, don’t think that I did it,” explained the general and
continued, “They had destructed the Papazyan street and they were
making a cable wire extension for the hotel being built around there.
The street had been in ruins for a long time. Construction is going on.
Cars pass by this street every day. The dirt, the noise of the
cars….One can’t bear that all the time. Now go and see how peaceful it
is. The residents living on Papazyan street agree with me. As for the
residents of the Aram Cholakyan street, let them clear everything up in
court.” In addition, Chief of National Security Services Carlos
Petrosyan’s son-in-law lives on Papazyan street too. At the
Babayan-Papazyan intersection, next to the Main headquarters of the
Ministry of Defense, Carlos Petrosyan’s villa is making all the racket.
The residents of the Aram Cholakyan street had complained about that to
the Kanaker-Zeytun district council. The council had replied: “Wait two
weeks and we will have the problem solved.” Two weeks has not passed
yet, but “168 hours” weekly decided to find out what the district
council was planning on doing. Vice director of the district council G.
Avetisyan knew little about what was going on “We told them that the
sand and the pipes will be removed in the course of two weeks and the
road will be open. Why are they in a rush? Our expert will go, study
the scene and make a report. Whoever poured the sand, will clean it up.
Otherwise, he or she will be charged with a fee.” The next day, we
talked with the district council’s expert from the polytechnic
department Surik Hayrapetyan. “The sand and the pipes were there. The
general was not home, but I did speak with his son. I ordered him to
clean up the sand in two weeks time or else they would have to pay a
fee. They promised they would.” Who were they? Did general Vardanyan
close the street or someone else? The expert from the district council
did not reply. “Why are you asking me these types of questions? Are you
from the prosecutor’s office?” As for the vice director of the district
council Avetisyan, he had backed off a little this time. “I still have
not gone to see what is going on there. The sand will definitely be
removed, but experts still need to research the tubes. It could turn
out that that road needs to remain closed.”
