On Monday afternoon, residents of Hotolisht in Librazhd again blocked the Librazhd-Përrenjas national road in protest against the Elbasan-Qafë Thanë road project, which passes through their village. This is the fourth protest organized by the community, which has been opposing the project for months through petitions and requests for meetings with the government.
Through several statements read to the media, residents called on institutions such as the Supreme State Audit Office, the Ombudsman, the Institute of Land Management, the Cadastral Agency, and the National Housing Authority not to remain silent, but to take responsibility and respond.
"Our cause is not political, it is existential. It is about our homes, our properties, our children and our future," the residents expressed through a joint statement.
While we are in the midst of an electoral campaign, residents called for their concerns not to be exploited, but appealed for solutions.
Despite efforts, no state institution has provided an official response to Hotolisht's demands. The residents propose that the road should go through a tunnel or along the Shkumbin River, to avoid dividing the village and destroying homes.
This time, representatives of the People's Advocate were also present on the ground.
They have submitted a petition with 511 signatures, through which they have also requested that in case their properties are affected, compensation be made at market value. But to date they have not received any response from the authorities.
A meeting scheduled for March 17 with the Minister of Infrastructure, Belinda Balluku, to discuss community concerns, fell through after the minister failed to show up. This has further fueled residents' dissatisfaction with the lack of institutional transparency.
The latest protests, on April 20 and 27, were held with banners and symbolic slogans such as "We are not a transit route, but a community"On May 2, residents placed a coffin in the middle of the road, as a symbolic way of the possible death of the village if the national road is decided to pass through it.
Works on the “Elbasan-Qafë Thanë” road began in January 2023 and are part of Corridor VIII, which connects Durrës with Varna in Bulgaria. The segment that touches Hotolishti is part of the eighth phase and begins about 140 meters from the turn to the place called “Rrethi i Bardhë” and ends about 300 meters from the turn to the village of Xhyrë.
The winning company for this segment is "Fusha" shpk, which signed the contract in July 2024.
Hotolishti residents insist that they are not against development, but demand that it be done with respect for their livelihoods and the integrity of the community.
What do we know about the Hotolisht case:
- The Elbasan-Qafë Thanë road project (50.12 km) is expected to pass between the village of Hotolisht, endangering several homes and agricultural plots.
- Residents only became aware of the project when the works began to approach the village.
- Minute they are not informed which apartments are specifically affected by the project.
- Minute do not agree with the compensation of 270 euros/m² for homes, calling it unacceptable.
- ARA told Citizens.al that 25 houses affected by the project, but after community pressure, it was said that the project would be reviewed.
- The project is part of Corridor VIII, which connects Durrës with Varna (Bulgaria), with works starting in January 2023.
- The segment that touches Hotolišti belongs to eighth stage.
- In total, of the eight lots of the project have a cost over 180 million euros, with 11 companies engaged in construction. Completion is expected within year 2026.
Read also:
- The "Elbasan-Qafë Thanë" road divides the village of Hotolisht
- Over 500 residents of Hotolisht petition against the road
- No information about the road project, Hotolishti in protest
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).
