Some 100 Albanian families are set to be displaced from their homes in Rruga Ura in Tirana as the apartment blocks will be demolished by the decision of the Municipal Council as a result of damage from the 26 November 2019 earthquake.
A total of eight buildings will be brought down with a demolition date of 19 December, as per the Inspectorate of Territory Protection (IMT) notice. However, electricity and water were already cut at the site as of Thursday, 15 December, leaving those that remain in a difficult situation.
Furthermore, residents say they have had no information as to whether they will get a rental bonus to help them cover costs once they are evicted, and they say they have no indication as to whether they will be reimbursed for their property.
Residents also say that the eight blocks are not damaged, and some possess documents from engineers that say structural damage was minor and posed no risk.
“Then the director of the institute, Agron Hysenlliu himself, came on December 22, 2019, and according to the damage to the building, the building is DS3. The building is habitable except for the two apartments that require an intervention”, resident Gentian Koci told Citizens Channel.
In 2021, former Minister of Reconstruction Arben Ahmetaj announced the area was set to be developed with the construction of five new buildings, playgrounds and a nursery.
