Over 500 residents of the Hotolisht Administrative Unit in the city of Librazhd signed a petition against the passage of the "Elbasan-Qafë Thanë" road through their village.
"We demand the change of the current road project as it severely harms our lives and disregards the interests of the community," it is said in the residents' communication.
The petition was addressed to the Assembly, with the knowledge of the Prime Minister's Office and the Presidency.
Residents emphasize that they are not against the construction of the road, but they do not accept that it will pass through the middle of the village, destroying their homes and dividing the village.
Through the petition, the residents are requesting a change in the route of the road, offering alternative solutions either through a tunnel or by crossing the river. Among other things, they have requested an entrance and exit for the Hotolisht administrative unit, a change in the valuation of agricultural land in case it is affected by the road's route, and compensation at the real market price for those homes that may be affected by the construction of the tunnel or by the road crossing the river.
If the demands are not met, the residents emphasize that they will boycott the central elections to be held on May 11, 2025.
This initiative by the residents is a continuation of their opposition since they became aware of the project.
In an official response, the Albanian Road Authority told Citizens.al that the project is being reviewed with the aim of minimizing the impact on the community. According to the initial project, which passed through the village, 25 residential houses were affected.
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Librazhd: Residents of Hotolisht oppose the road project that divides the village
Erisa Kryeziu has completed higher studies in Journalism and Communication and Master of Science in Public Relations at the University of Tirana. She has been a journalist and project manager at Citizens.al for five years, where she reports on social issues and human rights, especially on issues of rights at work, in education, gender equality, marginalized groups, people with disabilities such as and for environmental issues. At the same time, she works as a project coordinator with a focus on youth and media education. User of new reporting techniques such as "Mobile Journalism" and citizen engagement tools in reporting (ECR-Engage Citizens Journalism).
