This morning, traders and citizens from Tirana’s “Electric Market” have been protesting in front of the Municipality against plans to demolish the area.
Located in Ali Demi, the market is home to a number of stands that employ some 232 people. They sell electrical goods and items for the home and it has operated for decades since the fall of the communist regime.
Protesters state that the Municipality has not provided them with another location to house their businesses after it razes the area to the ground. They say it is a shame as many families rely on the income generated at the market.
“Shame on the Municipality. There are 232 people working here. We voted for the government not to leave us in the streets but instead, they are massacring us in the streets,” one trader told the media this morning.
The Municipality claims it informed traders on 20 December that they were being evicted and that it has given them a space outside of the city to set up their stands, in Shkoza, some 5 km away from the current location. The traders claim the municipality has refused to prepare the rough terrain in Shkoza.
Demolition is expected to start imminently.
