Today the citizens of the Astir neighborhood, close to the Tirana ring road, were stopped by the police on their way into the building of the Municipality of Tirana. For several days they have been protesting against the demolition of their homes.
The citizens requested to meet the Mayor Veliaj, but police didn’t let them enter the building where the Municipal Council was holding today’s session.
They gave Mayor Veliaj and Aldrin Dalipi, the PS Head of the Municipal Council, a 48-hour ultimatum to negotiate with them or otherwise “there will be no municipal council anymore”:
I invite the mayor to come and talk with the representatives of the protestors, in order to find a solution; there is always a solution. Chairman of the Municipal Council, you have 48 hours to talk with the protesters, otherwise there will be no municipal council anymore.
Mayor Veliaj responded to citizens from the meeting room, expression his firmness to implement the ring road project, which requires the demolition of more than 300 houses and has been mired in allegations of corruption.
There is one single [traffic] hot spot in Tirana today. It starts from Fabrika e Miellit until Shqiponja Sqaure. I have been there [during the] campaign. People say: It’s when theShqiponja Sqaure gets unblocked that Tirana is going to breathe. We found Tirana with 21 hot spots, traffic was congested. Today there is only one remaining, only one. So what? Shall we remain in the Stone Age? Why? Because some people have occupied [the area] there and do not accept the compensation we are giving them? There is no way!
