On Wednesday, July 5, residents of the Bus Station Park area will protest again against Mayor Veliaj’s decision to build in the only green space in the area.
Citizens, who yesterday protested for the third consecutive day until late in the evening, asked the Tirana municipality to cancel the permission for the construction of a residential complex in the park, which for years was the only recreational environment for children and residents of this area.
During these three days of protest, 5 activists and citizens were arrested and several others violated by the police.
The Municipality of Tirana has so far made no official statement regarding this protest.
The news of granting permission to build a residential complex for one of the closest people to Prime Minister Rama and Mayor Veliaj was made public on June 30, just five days after the June 25th elections.
According to environmental activist group Citizens for the Park, Arlis Construction “has probably falsified the Environmental Impact Assessment documents, shifting the focus of the study to an area beyond the park.”
If these facts are true, the Municipality of Tirana has issued construction permits based on false documents.
A month ago, in the area that today is surrounded and is ready for the works to start, workers of the Tirana Municipality pulled out the trees and started degrading the park. This park was inaugurated in April 2015 by former Mayor Lulzim Basha.
