Residents of 106 Nalbandyan Street in Yerevan will stage a demonstration at the site on June 2 at noon to protest ongoing illegal construction of a luxury residential building in their backyard.

Local residents have been fighting an uphill battle with the construction company and the city for the past two years.

Yesterday, employees of Avag Shin, the construction company developing the site, showed up with workers from the gas utility.

The utility workers said they had been given permission by the city to move the gas main servicing some of the surrounding buildings. Residents confronted the workers and demanded to see some authorization. None was presented.

Gas to the buildings was interrupted and residents quickly got in touch with the mayor’s office. They were told that the gas main had to be moved as a safety measure, to allow for the access of fire trucks.

This morning, as residents expected, Avag Shin had moved in heavy construction equipment.

Residents argue that the gas main issue was a ruse to allow for the reintroduction of the heavy equipment.