They will never be alone, but today more than ever they are full of hope, optimism and confidence in a better future as they return to their newly-built homes.
As many as 122 quake-affected families in the village of Bubq, Kruje Municipality, are leaving their tragic past behind to start afresh in new homes, which are built back stronger, safer and more beautiful than the ones they lost due to the devastating earthquake two years ago.
The new houses are just a piece of the mosaic that will take its final shape soon thanks to the ongoing post-earthquake reconstruction programme that is reviving infrastructure throughout the area.
Prime Minister Edi Rama visited the village of Bubq to share with local residents the joy of moving into the new homes.
* * *
Good evening everyone and my wish for you is that you enjoy your new houses! These are homes that most of you, if not all of you, couldn’t believe they would be ever built in the wake of the earthquake.
These homes not only provide the residents of this new town just a housing opportunity in a much better, safer and more beautiful dwelling than the one they lost, but also offer them the opportunity for a new community life.
This has been one of the goals of the Reconstruction Programme, so that we do and deliver as best as we can, but also create better post-earthquake opportunities, taking notice of the fact that a category of families that lost their homes previously located in various remote rural areas, with little or no access to the public services and with children having to travel long distances to get to and from school, with the older people having to travel far just to obtain an administrative service or undergo a medical check-up at the health centre. All these services are now available and provided here in one place.
This site features not only 122 new houses for a new community, with an urban infrastructure everyone would envy and would wish to be available in many Tirana neighbourhoods, let alone in other cities and towns across the country.
The new residential complex includes a new school has been built here, one of 19 or 20 educational facilities already constructed or under construction from scratch in Kruje Municipality alone; the new administrative centre, which is set to deliver a range of public services to this entire administrative unit; a natural amphitheatre, where the older people, their nieces and nephews can spend quality leisure time together, and where municipal authorities can host various cultural and artistic events for the school children, as well as with spaces I hope and I encourage you to transform into beautiful green spaces, as the dwellings are not about walls, but they also include courtyards and if you really care properly these all green spaces for the residents to relax can also be transformed to offer a much more beautiful view than the one we see today.
I remember very well the first moment shortly after the earthquake. I remember all the visits and meetings here in Bubq. I remember people with hope – emptied eyes and I also remember a verbal exchange we had with a local resident here, outraged by the fact that his house had to be demolished. He was very aggressive and totally convinced that in no way something was ever to be built here and claiming that we were visiting the area was just adding to the woes of the local residents.
It was not easy at all. It took time and one should not forget that another natural disaster ensued just few months after the earthquake, the COVID-19 pandemic that brought the world to its knees like nothing else could ever done before, as if we were protagonists of a science-fiction movie, with everyone locked in their homes for days and weeks long.
The pandemic halted many imports of materials. It paralyzed many companies, causing long delays and failure to meet the deadline we had set for the reconstruction process to complete. However, I am convinced there are individuals among you, who might have been working and living in Italy, or their family members or friends live in the neighbouring country, and I would like you to ask them if they now how many people still live in caravans after their homes were destroyed or damaged by earthquakes 12 or 15 years ago. And one should not forget that Italy is the world’s fifth largest economy.
Ask them to learn how many people still live in caravans waiting for their homes to be built 10 or 15 years after the earthquakes. Not only that, but even if they ever return to their new homes, the latter won’t be granted them for free.
This is the first post-earthquake reconstruction programme in the continent we live in – taking notice of the programs we have been watching to learn and better understand how to deliver best on this process – that charges affected families to apply and obtain a bank loan in order to benefit housing. Instead, our reconstruction programme makes sure that affected families return back to new homes built back stronger and more beautiful totally for free.
Every affected family benefits from housing for free and property ownership certificates are provided to each beneficiary for them to inherit, sell or rent out.
However, taking notice of the most recent developments, I would urge you to watch out for your door locks!
I would urge you to show utmost care about the door locks as this is not part of the reconstruction programme.
This is not a programme for the Socialist supporters only. This is a programme dedicated to all Albanians.
For me, Albanians are all equal when it comes to standing by them at times of natural disasters; they are equal when it comes to delivering public services they are entitled by law to be granted by their state and no matter whether they are Socialist or Democratic Party supporters, they are all provided housing everywhere we are rebuilding new homes for them.
The recent obsession of the Democrats with the door locks is not something that should be tackled by the government and it is not a matter of concern for the Socialists.
So, whoever doesn’t wish to face problems with their door locks, they can become Socialist supporters and everything will be ok with them. However, we will stand close to them. I am convinced that the Socialists will help their Democratic neighbours to cope with this door lock issue.
In addition to that, I would like that we have learned many lessons during this process.
We have learned how we can bring about transformations somehow unimaginable that someone would deliver on prior to the earthquake. However, this is after all the power through which a man can and should find to do something when facing a challenge and this is what distinguishes the governments and the communities from each other.
Such challenges test their character, which administration is stronger and doesn’t succumb, but on the contrary decides to recover and look far beyond that very tough moment on how to turn the crisis into a fresh opportunity.
We have learned a lot during this process and therefore we are launching preparations for a new housing reform.
The reform is about a National Housing Programme and based on what we have learned and by making use of all the mechanisms we already set up for this reason, together with the Albanian Development Fund, which has been the locomotive of an incredible quality transformation in line with best standards, we will seek to provide housing to many other families during this decade. We want to help many families that for 1001 reasons can’t afford buying a new house and we will provide many other Albanians, regardless of their political affiliations, with the opportunity to have a new house for their children.
I am fully aware that our Housing Programme has stumbled during the years after the fall of dictatorship.
You are well aware of scandals and shameful actions with even deputy ministers, MPs and high officials becoming owners of homes supposedly being built for the homeless people.
This process has been marred by a lot of flaws, yet we are now able to usher it in a new phase.
So, as we work around the clock to complete construction of all these homes, we want to provide decent housing to every family that lost their houses in the earthquake.
We will embark on the housing projects for needy people and the young couples, who wish to build a new life and who need support in their very initial steps and it is not easy for them to apply and obtain a bank loan.
The last thing I would like to tell all of those watching us now and envying you all for moving into these beautiful new houses, while waiting to do so either in Durrres, Kruje or Tirana and Vore, where work is full steam ahead. I would like to tell them that we are committed to fully deliver on this process, but they should also understand us. The construction in Kruje, for example, kicked off very recently. Why? This is because of countless problems in terms of the property issues, rehabilitation of the entire common space, where new apartment buildings will be constructed under a project that has sought to fit and preserve the historic character of the city of Kruje, as well as a number of important cultural and historic heritage sites in the area.
Believe it or not, the government sometimes finds itself in the same difficult position, like every ordinary citizen finds himself or herself in the face of today’s justice system. This is the case with the reconstruction process in Laç, a judge, who will not succeed in the efforts to avoid this huge responsibility, has secured the lawsuit. Do you imagine a judge ruling to secure the lawsuit and therefore blocking the Reconstruction Process, just because says: “I don’t want it to happen,” whereas an apartment building should be demolished and a new one should be built, as it is happening with other buildings, and many families are waiting to the process to be unblocked. And we should follow the process.
The Deputy Prime Minister has followed the whole reconstruction process in Durres while serving as Reconstruction Minister. Hundreds of apartment buildings have been repaired after sustaining minor damages. You already came across the tens of millions of dollars provided in compensation grants to the affected families to repair their houses and to the companies to repair and reinforce the apartment buildings.
A number of apartment buildings have sustained severe or structural damages and need to be reconstructed. But it takes time to come up with a design as if the building is being constructed from scratch. It takes time. Meanwhile, work is underway on construction of a totally brand new residential complex, like this one here, in the area of Spitalle, under a generous donation provided by the Crown Prince of the United Arab Emirates.
I visited him at his house and asked him for help.
Because I have already said from day one and I have done so while in despair, as well as out of the extraordinary desire to succeed, that I would move heaven and earth to secure the due funding, as it is about a process that would get even very wealthy nations in serious troubles, let alone a country like Albania.
It is unimaginable to come across all nonsense and speculations, with individuals claiming that international partners and friends provided huge amounts of money and pledges. We are delivering on all these projects through the state budget funds and Albanian taxpayers’ money.
I would like to first and foremost express deep respect and gratitude to all of those who have contributed, and express profound gratitude to all Albanian citizens who have contributed to the process, but considering the whole volume of work, their contribution is quite modest.
On the other hand, the government, as any other government since one was formed and since the state became functional, is there to manage the taxpayers’ money, to secure funding for others, is there to forge alliances and I think we have done it properly, because otherwise we wouldn’t be able to launch and deliver on the Reconstruction Programme.
Thank you very much!
