Sumgait Entrepreneurs Declared Hunger Strike

Baku / 16.03.18 / Turan: A group of entrepreneurs who participated in the construction of the Sumgait Boulevard declared a hunger strike. More than 10 entrepreneurs claim that the city's executive power owes money to them, which is not given back. They say they will continue the action until the problem is resolved.

The entrepreneurs told Turan that Mugais Verdiyev, who is the head of the contractor company selected by the city's EP, and Fazail Huseynov, the head of the EP department of architecture and construction, attracted them to work for the development of Sumgait. They believe the construction work is carried out by the EP, which means it has to pay.

"During the construction work, the EP paid the contractor company an initial amount of about 4 million manat. Then we were paid a part of the debt. The rest of the main part was to be paid later. The President came to Sumgait and observed our work and was satisfied with it, but we did not receive any money," said the entrepreneurs who went on hunger strike.

They said the head of the contractor's company Mugais Verdiyev was arrested at the end of 2015 precisely because of these money issues. Participants of the hunger strike say this arrest is backed by the Sumgait EP.

Among those who could not get their money are Isa Gasymov, Eyvaz Abbasov, Muhammad Asgarov, Chingiz Mansurov, Bilal Piriyev, Zohrab Rzayev and others. Abbasov should be paid 200 thousand manat, Asgarov - 176 thousand manat, Mansurov - 250 thousand manat, Rzayev - 264 thousand manat, etc. The total amount of debt to the entrepreneurs is more than 1 million manat.

In addition, dozens of workers who worked in the construction have not received their salary.

The entrepreneur Aydin Abdullayev claims that the Sumgait EP owes him AZN 119,000, which he cannot receive.

"They do not give back the money, and we are already tired of this. There is no instance to which we would not apply. Nobody responds. There is no money and there are no funds to live on." According to him, entrepreneurs provided various services during the arrangement of the city - they supplied facing stones and sand and were engaged in gardening, laying concrete and arranging lawns.

"For a year and a half we have been applying to the Presidential Administration. We are not even received by the Sumgait EP. So we were forced to go on a hunger strike, as there is no other way out. We do not ask for help or benefits from the EP, and we just want our money."

In the Sumgait EP, they did not comment on the hunger strike of the entrepreneurs. However, a few weeks earlier EP said they knew about the complaint of the entrepreneurs. Nevertheless, the press service of the EP noted that neither the executive branch nor its head Zakir Farajov is financially liable for the debts.

"The executive power of the city of Sumgait is not a party to the contract with the persons demanding their money back. The person responsible for these debts has been arrested," said Eyvaz Orujov, head of the press service of the EP of Sumgait.

The opening of the Sumgait Seaside Boulevard took place on September 27, 2016. President Ilham Aliyev attended the opening ceremony. -0-