An operation will begin next week to clear the country’s coastline, and not only, of the illegal buildings that violate the law. At a meeting with the Minister of Interior Bledi Çuçi, the Director General of the State Cadastre Artan Lame, State Police senior officials and representatives of state institutions tasked with territorial protection in the coastal town of Shengjin, Prime Minister Edi Rama warned all those that have built illegal properties start cleaning up or demolishing them voluntarily.
“Our Coast” operation aims at clearing coastal areas and whole territory of the illegal buildings and bring all offenders to justice. In the meantime, according to Interior Minister Çuçi, the files on all offenders have been already compiled, while once complete in coastal areas, the operation will go on with demolition of the illegal buildings along the national roads.
The State Police, in collaboration with the National Inspectorate of Territory Protection, have already recorded all recent illegal buildings and are now notifying the individuals, who have constructed them.
In his remarks at the meeting with the heads of institutions tasked with conducting the operation, PM Rama said:
This is a process being intensively carried out at the Ministry of Interior. The operation is set to kick off next week and I want to convey this message to all of those who are fully aware of the fact that they are seriously violating the law: Read the Criminal Procedures Code and immediately act now, because it will be too late for them if they fail to act until Monday. I invite them to read the Criminal Code to figure out what they would face once violations are detected by the State Police, and the moment they need to face the consequences for these serious offenses and start to bring them down themselves.
I want to put it clearly to the whole chain of those involved, starting from engineers, constructors all the way to the very last ordinary worker that based on the Criminal Code, they all share their part of the blame and responsibility. And nobody will get away with it by claiming “I am an ordinary worker and I was just hired to work, without knowing what I am doing.” This is because this would be the same as if one would pretend he was hired to plant grass seed, while he actually was growing cannabis. Everyone will be apprehended and face penalties.
Most importantly, this is the most precious asset and gift God has generously blessed this country with. Despite of what has happened before, despite of what has been done in the past, we can’t afford and won’t allow illegal activities thrive again under indifferent eye of certain institutions and the police taking advantage of the complicated situations like the earthquake, the pandemic and so on or and so forth. It is impossible, it is intolerable, it is unjustifiable.
The Internal Control and Complaints Service will do whatever it takes to get to the bottom of this issue, but the State Police officers should also be well-informed that just like the fight against the street crime, just like the fight against narcotics cultivation, this operation also has a map and a responsibility to assume. If an illegal construction is built in an area you are responsible for, then it is you to be held accountable, because this is not the case of a fast illegal activity, but it is about structures that are built, concrete pouring and this means you sometimes are a collaborator in such activities.
I want to send a very clear message to all violators of this asset. Back off now and take advantage of these days to remove what you have built. Every illegal building, be it one, two, or four-storey building, will be all demolished. And not only will they be demolished, but you will also face consequences.
The law stipulates that whoever builds illegally, he should also demolish and clean the rubble himself. This has been always avoided. Of course, we won’t let the solid waste piles there, but whoever fails to clean them up will also pay the cleaning cots.
