Society 15:26 28/08/2015

Civic initiative against power tariff rise in Armenia to restart street struggle from September 1

“No to Plunder’, a civic initiative that organized mass protests in June against a rise in electricity tariffs in Armenia, will restart their street struggle on September 1, the initiative member Artush Chibukhchyan told a press conference today.

“We are going to restart our street struggle because we have no expectations from the upcoming audit of Electric Networks of Armenia (ENA) Company,” he said.

In the activists’ words, they are prepared to struggle till the end to demand the cancelation of the decision on the power tariff hike in Armenia.

The initiative members expressed their resentment over the fact that the Armenian government has no intention of subsidizing the increase in power price for big businesses.

The fact is Armenian Prime Minister Hovik Abrahamyan said at the August 13 session of the government: “Many have a wrong impression the government is ready to subsidize the 6.93 dram increase in electricity tariffs not only for population, but also for big businesses. That’s not so”. “The president said the government will shoulder the burden of the tariff rise for population. The president will soon return from vacation and we will discuss the issue of support for small and medium businesses,” the PM said.

The hiked electricity tariffs came into effect in Armenia on August 1. Earlier, Electric Networks of Armenia (ENA) Company filed an application to Public Services Regulatory Commission of Armenia (PSRC) regarding an increase in electricity tariffs, a hike that the parliamentary opposition and civil society considered as unfounded and serving the interests of ENA. Until August 1, 2015 the daytime and night tariffs for population were 41.85 drams and 31.85 drams per KWh, respectively. The ENA proposed raising the tariffs to 58 and 48 drams respectively. But on June 17 the Commission granted only partly the ENA application on a rise in tariffs. The power tariffs in Armenia have increased by 6.93 drams, not 17 drams.

As was reported, President Serzh Sargsyan said at the June 27 consultation with officials responsible for the economic policy in Armenia that cancelling the decision on power tariff rise was “very dangerous”. For this reason the government will cover the tariff rise until the conclusion (of an audit of Electric Networks – editor), he said. “If that conclusion [of the audit] confirms the price increase is well-based, from that moment on the consumers will begin paying the new tariff without having any suspicions. Should the conclusion confirm the increase had been groundless, the government would take measures to get refunds from the ENA on the amount surcharged, as well as bring to account those officials that failed on their duties»,” the president said noting that under such conditions the work that the government started a few months ago to change the owner of ENA will become a certainty, and the option of returning the company to the state and transferring it for competitive management is not ruled out.



Source Panorama.am
Share |
Տեքստում սխալ կամ վրիպակ նկատելու դեպքում, ուղարկեք խմբագրին հաղորդագրություն` նշելով տվյալ սխալը, այնուհետև սեղմելով Ctrl-Enter:

Newsfeed

17:03
National Geographic: How to plan a wine-tasting tour of Armenia
As Armenia prepares to host the 8th UN Tourism Global Conference on Wine Tourism between 11-13 September 2024, National Geographic rounds up the...
16:32
U,S. Embassy rejects arrested activist Narek Samsonyan's letter
The U.S. Embassy in Yerevan on Friday refused to accept an open letter from arrested opposition activist and Imnemnimi podcast co-host Narek...
16:09
Reporter accuses Armenian authorities of crackdown on dissent
Chairman of the Civic Consciousness NGO, founder of AntiFake.am media outlet, political prisoner Narek Samsonyan wrote an open letter-inquiry to...
15:30
Varsen Aghabekian named Palestine's state minister
Armenian Varsen Aghabekian has been appointed Palestine's Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and Expatriates, WAFA reported....
14:54
Ameriabank named Best Bank in Armenia for 2024 by Global Finance
Ameriabank has been named the Best Bank in Armenia by Global Finance magazine in its 31st annual awards for the World’s Best Banks....
14:35
MP Tigran Abrahamyan blasts Pashinyan for threatening Artsakh leaders
Opposition MP Tigran Abrahamyan has decried Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s statements in which he slammed Artsakh’s...
13:59
Queen Camilla says Kate is 'thrilled by all the kind wishes and support'
Princess Kate is "thrilled by all the kind wishes and support" after sharing her cancer news, Queen Camilla has said. The...
13:35
MP Levon Kocharyan warns of false statements
Opposition Hayastan faction MP Levon Kocharyan has warned his supporters over false and misleading statements being disseminated on his...
13:08
Armenian expert warns against land handover to Azerbaijan
Political scientist Suren Petrosyan warns that the handover of four border villages in Tavush Province to Azerbaijan would pave the way for the...
12:43
Yerevan Bus head resigns
Yerevan Bus CJSC Director Hovhannes Manukyan has stepped down. "I've submitted resignation today," he said in a social...
12:23
Police raiding homes of Armenian opposition group members
The Armenian authorities are searching the homes of members and supporters of the opposition group National Democratic Pole as well as its...
11:47
Armenian leadership seeking rupture of ties with Russia, Lavrov says
The Armenian leadership is messing up relations with Moscow for no good reason, TASS quoted Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov as...
11:30
Today marks Good Friday
The week leading up to Easter or Holy Resurrection is called Holy Week (in Armenian Avak Shabat). During this period, the Armenian Apostolic...
11:15
Political prisoner Narek Samsonyan addresses open letter-inquiry to U.S. ambassador
Chairman of Civic Consciousness NGO, founder of AntiFake.am media outlet, political prisoner Narek Samsonyan wrote an open letter-inquiry to...
11:00
ARF calls for consolidation to save Armenian statehood
The Armenian Revolutionary Federation-Dashnaktsutyun (ARF-D) Bureau issued the following statement on Thursday: "In recent weeks, Nikol...
17:12
She said yes: Marriage proposal at Hayat Project concert in Gyumri
A young man proposed to his beloved at a Hayat Project concert in Gyumri, Armenia’s second largest city. In a video posted online, the...
16:45
Opposition MP slams Pashinyan's Artsakh statements
Opposition Hayastan faction MP Ishkhan Saghatelyan has expressed support to the Artsakh government in exile following Armenian Prime Minister...
16:04
MP Aghvan Vardanyan visits arrested activists
MP Aghvan Vardanyan, who represents the opposition Hayastan faction, on Thursday visited the Armavir Penitentiary where activists Vazgen...
15:36
Armenian opposition MP visits border villages
Opposition MP Tigran Abrahamyan has visited the villages of Voskepar and Baghanis in Tavush Province adjacent to the border areas demanded by...
15:04
Ex-Yerevan mayor setting up new party
Former Yerevan Mayor Hayk Marutyan is setting up a new party in the near future, his team has confirmed to RFE/RL’s Armenian Service....
14:36
Armenia to send 29.94 tons of humanitarian aid to Gaza
Armenia will deliver 29.94 tons of humanitarian aid to Gaza ravaged by the conflict with Israel. The decision was approved at a cabinet...
14:07
Expert: Pashinyan decided to terrorize Artsakh leaders
Political analyst Suren Surenyants has criticized Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s statements on Artsakh leaders at a cabinet meeting on...
13:35
Analyst: The West doesn't care about Armenia
The West wants Armenia and Azerbaijan to sign a peace treaty as soon as possible and Armenia's territorial losses do not matter to it,...
13:06
Moscow concerned over anti-Russian bias of Armenia-EU-US meeting
The Armenia-EU-US meeting scheduled for April 5 is causing Moscow’s concern as Washington and Brussels are openly discussing its...
12:37
Pashinyan: Some circles displaced from Karabakh take actions threatening Armenia's security
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan warns that the actions taken by “some circles” forcibly displaced from Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh)...
12:04
Artsakh dissolution decree was 'the only way' to save people, president says
President Samvel Shahramanyan claims his decree ordering the dissolution of the Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) Republic was the “only...
11:30
Japanese supplement products recalled after two deaths and over 100 people hospitalized
Health supplement products believed to have caused two deaths and sickened more than 100 people have been ordered to be taken off store shelves...
11:15
Today is Holy Thursday
The week leading up to Easter or Holy Resurrection is called Holy Week (in Armenian Avak Shabat). During this period, the Armenian Apostolic...
11:00
Upcoming Armenia-US-EU meeting not directed against any third party – Foreign Ministry
The high-level meeting scheduled for April 5 in Brussels is aimed at strengthening Armenia-EU-US cooperation and is not directed against...
17:00
Azerbaijan's team opts out of Sambo World Cup in Yerevan
Azerbaijan's national team will not participate in the Sambo World Cup to be held in Yerevan, Armenia, Azerbaijani Sambo Federation official...

Follow us and get updates!

Most popular articles

{"core.blocks.header.spell_message1":"Selected mistake: ","core.blocks.header.spell_message2":"Send a message about the mistake?"}