Work continues incessantly to rebuild educational infrastructure in the quake-affected areas across the country. Nine-year schools in the villages of Larushk and Luz, Kruje municipality are only two out of 158 new educational facilities being rebuild under the post-earthquake recovery and reconstruction programme in the country. Prime Minister Edi Rama inspected the construction works on the two schools and announced that the nine-year school “Hajdar Hoxha” in Larushk will open doors to its 370 pupils by end of January, whereas the school in the village of Luz will welcome back its 160 pupils within February 2020.

A total of 158 new schools are being built under the reconstruction program and they are designed to meet European standards for habitability and environmental comfort and provide spaces for contemporary education. 

 

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The new residential neighbourhood in the town of Fushe-Kruje, one of the worst-hit areas by the earthquake last November, is taking shape day by day. The devastating earthquake last year reduced whole area into ruins. Around 1200 affected residents expect to move into their new houses, either individual homes or apartment buildings, in the first month of next year or a little bit later.

“A total of 128 single-family dwellings and some 100 apartments are being rebuilt after the due procedures completed. There are 128 housing units arranged in a new residential complex, which also includes auxiliary and community spaces. A total of 15 apartment buildings and some 128 individual houses are being constructed in this residential neighbourhood for the quake-affected residents. I am confident that construction of these houses and community premises will complete within March,” the Minister of State for Reconstruction Arben Ahmetaj said while accompanying Prime Minister Rama during a visit to the construction site of the new residential complex.

“As for the construction of the apartment buildings, the procedures will be launched today and the construction work is set to begin by mid-January and is scheduled to complete in six months. This means that construction work will complete by mid-July or by the end of July, despite the engineering surprises we may encounter during the construction process. This is the initial stage of the process to construct the apartment buildings, but everything running on schedule. Construction of all collective buildings will take six to eight months from the groundbreaking work, which means that, as you have already stated, all traces left by the earthquake would be all erased by March 2022,” Ahmetaj added.

The design on the new residential complexes also includes parking lots, as well as a service unit for each building. Ahmetaj specified that the neediest families will be housed first and the others will be gradually by lot.

Kruja Mayor noted that a growing number of local residents are applying to benefit housing in the new residential complex as project takes shape day by day. “I would like to underline that the affected families initially demanded that the new houses be built on the site of the old ones, but with the project underway many of them are asking to be included in this project.” 

Kruja Mayor also said that the site preparation work will kick off shortly after the year-end holidays. Commenting on this, Minister Ahmetaj said that “each municipality has allocated funding to clear the territory, remove solid urban waste and prepare the sites for reconstruction.” He also said that the Albanian Development Fund is carrying out the procedures.