Municipality won’t change viewpoint
Deputy Mayor of Yerevan Kamo Areyan presented the Yerevan Municipality's viewpoints during the parliamentary hearings on "Street trade in municipal communities".
Areyan mentioned that the mayor of Yerevan was guided by the existing RA law "On Trade and Services" when he took the decision on banning street trade.
According to Areyan, in the law it is prescribed that only the street trade of flowers, seedlings, fir trees for the New Year, ice cream, water, mineral water and soft drinks is allowed, provided the sanitary-hygienic conditions.
Presenting the reasons and corroborations for the street trade ban, Mr. Areyan said the municipality is consistent with its position since it corresponds to the law.
According to Areyan, the municipality didn't deprive street traders of their jobs by banning street trade. It has proposed eight private markets in Yerevan, as well as the construction of mini-markets in various municipal communities that will be more suitable.
Citizens who have been trading on the streets for many years expressed their concerns regarding this viewpoint and the proposed solutions. They claimed that the proposed version can't help them earn a living because both big and small markets are rather far from their homes and citizens prefer to shop in nearby stores and supermarkets.
The street traders propose to create small pavilions where it will be possible to do trade by paying a state fee.
