The newly-built homes in Tirana’s urban areas are being delivered to the quake-affected families that will celebrate the New Year holidays in larger, stronger, safer and more beautiful dwellings than the ones they lost due to the devastating earthquake last November.
Prime Minister Edi Rama visited the village of Farke, one of the worst-hit areas in Tirana municipality, where he personally handed over the keys to new houses to four families that became homeless a year ago.
Two of the new houses, as the Tirana Mayor Erion Veliaj explained, are located on a hill. “This hill here overlooks the Farke lake, while the area’s most urbanized area is located in this part. There are two families here that have built their homes close to each other since their owners are brothers and one of them is disabled and needs his brother’s help,” Mayor Veliaj said.
Pëllumb, his wife and two children welcomed PM Rama as the first guest to their new dwelling, which offers larger sufficient living spaces for all family members.
“It is a dream come true. I am speechless. This is something I could only dream about, but it actually came true. I didn’t believe. But I saw this dream becoming a reality every day,” the house owner said.
PM Rama also handed over the property ownership certificate to the house owner. They then visited other brother’s home, with whom Pellumb shares a common yard. The view from the house window is the lake of Farke and a green rehabilitated landscape. Tirana Mayor said that entire the pedestrians road and the entire area has been rehabilitated recently.
Plaku family is one of many households in the area, whose house was totally flattened because of the powerful earthquake on Nov 26 last year. To provide more safety, the new family house is now built in a land closer to the main road. “Thank you very much. We are really pleased. A team of wonderful people have been working here, working tirelessly day and night,” the family members said, expressing gratitude for the quality construction work.
“A total of $74 million has been distributed out of $100 million in government’s compensation grants, meaning that 74% of the program has already completed. Taking into account completion of this program, we reckon that around 20 of entire reconstruction program here has completed. Just imagine other programs. Construction of a total of 28 new schools has completed to date, while a total of 1000 new houses will open the doors to their inhabitants ahead of Dec 31. A total of 80 new houses are being built in this administrative unit only, 400 new homes in Shijak. In the meantime, work is also underway to construct residential buildings,” the Reconstruction Minister Ahmetaj said as he provided a brief outline of the progress of the reconstruction program, while visiting the new house of a family of four.
PM Rama noted that in the case of the houses located in difficult geological terrains, it would be up to the benefiting families whether they wish to stay there or move to another area. “We face a problem regarding a number of houses located in remote and geologically tough areas. We have mulled plans to grant these families a fund to cover the entire construction cost and let them decide whether they want to built their new houses on the site of the old dwellings or build them somewhere else. If they want to move somewhere else, then let them do so. I am confident that a solution will be found to this relatively small group of affected families. We will provide them cash support to fund entire construction work on their houses.”
Construction of 48 new houses has completed in Farke and a total of 60 houses will complete by Dec 25. In the meantime, procedures on construction of 65 more homes have been approved by Tirana City Council and construction work is set to commence very soon.
