The Development Plan for the town of Fushe-Kruja, one of the worst-hit areas by the devastating earthquake of November 26, 2019, has completed, a reconstruction program designed not simply to provide housing the quake-affected families, but also to give a fresh impetus to the area’s urban, economic and social development. The newly-designed plan was introduced by the Minister of Culture Elva Margariti during a briefing online meeting between the Prime Minister Edi Rama, the Minister of State for the Reconstruction, Arben Ahmetaj, the Mayor of Kruja Artur Bushi, and the Director of the Albanian Development Fund, Dritan Agolli. The Plan includes a 10-ha area and it combines construction of individual homes and collective apartment buildings, educational facilities and service institutions.
Prime Minister Rama vowed to push ahead with the reconstruction process that would eventually bring significant urban and socio-economic transformation of the quake-affected areas. “Some 221 families need housing in this area. I want to assure the affected families and individuals, who are facing a very difficult situation following the earthquake and now have to cope with the effects of the epidemic, that we haven’t ceased and will not stop working for them. In this 10-ha site, where both individual homes and apartment buildings will be constructed, we will also make an urban transformation of the whole area of Fushe-Kruja, including also all social-cultural facilities,” Rama said.
“The Development Plan of Fushe-Kruja – Culture Minister Elva Margariti explained – has been designed not only to provide housing, but also generate economic and social development of the area.” “The area lies just one kilometre from the town’s centre and it is closely linked to the centre. It also generates a new development model for the town. This area is located at the intersection of the main national roads near the urban area. A total of 221 families will need individual dwellings, whereas 93 other families will be housed in collective apartment buildings. There is also a need for a kindergarten, a nursery school, a community center and a new healthcare facility,” Minister Margariti said, emphasizing that the plan also places particular importance also to creation of public spaces, green spaces, sports grounds and underground parking lots.
The Head of the Albanian Development Fund, Dritan Agolli noted that the goal is to make sure that construction of all individual dwellings completes within this year. He also informed that the project on the area’s road infrastructure, water supply, sewerage and wastewater network and the power supply has been also prepared for the entire master plan for Fushe-Kruja. “The Fund on Monday announced the framework procedure for the reconstruction of the infrastructure on these areas. If everything goes as planned, we expect to sign the framework agreement by May 15 so that we kick off reconstruction of the infrastructure on June 1,” Agolli said, adding that “procedures for construction of the individual homes were launched on Monday. “We hope and we are confident that it is totally possible for the quake-affected families to move into their new houses within this year,” Agolli said.
On his part, the State Minister for the Reconstruction Arben Ahmetaj that the process of demolition of the damaged buildings has progressed in Durres, Kruja, Kurbin, Lezha, Kavaja, Rrogozhina and Tirana. “We have now designed a plan for the critical infrastructure of the entire area outside Tirana. The due funding has been allocated to the Albanian Development Fund and the Municipality of Tirana. By end of March we can begin the gradual allocation of grants for the buildings and houses with damages classified in DS1, DS2, or, DS3 categories. Meanwhile, plans for the Tirana outskirts have been already detailed, whereas regarding the damaged buildings inside the city of Tirana, the Albanian Development Fund has already completed the cost analysis process and has advanced towards launching the due procedures. We will conclude details with the Municipality of Tirana this week so that the procedures on the construction of the individual dwellings and the associating infrastructure can be launched soon. I want to emphasize that regarding the collective apartment buildings, based on the legal procedures; detailed projects should be designed rapidly so that we make sure that construction of collective apartment buildings starts in July, according to the deadline you have set earlier.”
The Mayor of Kruja Artur Bushi said that the plan will give a fresh impetus to the town’s economic and social development. “The selected site is very suitable, because it is naturally close to the other part of the town and it will provide not only for housing, but also public services and economic development of the area. Along to the public buildings, like the kindergarten, nursery school, schools, and the healthcare centre, the project will integrate also a market,” Bushi said.
