Demolition work is now underway on quake-damaged apartment buildings in Kombinat neighbourhood, Tirana municipality, to make way for a new residential apartment complex for the quake-affected families in the area. The work started with demolition of nine buildings constructed with silicate brick walls deemed unfit for purpose after sustaining structural damage equal to DS5 level in the devastating earthquake that rocked the country on Nov 26 last year.

The affected families have been all eligible to rental bonus they will continue receiving until they are handed over the keys to their new apartments.

The neighbourhood, gradually being freed of the old derelict buildings, today was visited by Prime Minister Edi Rama, who closely inspected the demolition work on the site.

“We have started work to tear down the apartment building No.152 first after sustaining structural damage equal to DS5 level. It is one of the initial nine residential buildings for which a demolition permit and the due procedures have been issued. All residents have demonstrated readiness to cooperate, including the owner of this additional building that has been legalized according to the law. The additional building is intrinsically attached to the larger apartment building. The owner of this building is eligible to benefiting new apartment too. Half of the building has collapsed. If you are to look closely, you would find that these are stone walls, while the building’s foundation have been built with whatever they have found. This clearly demonstrates what the engineer from the Construction Institute said that these walls wouldn’t withstand another tremor. All residents are receiving the rental bonus and they will continue to receive it until the day they will receive the keys to the new apartments. This whole area has kept expanding over the years. This way we will gain some more space for this whole community. We have commenced work to demolish the first nine buildings, but a total of 23 residential buildings will be razed down. The relevant permit has been issued for the demolition of the first nine buildings and the related procedures have been approved after residents have been notified and they have all agreed on the project. We will demolish nine buildings at a time until whole process completes,” Tirana Mayor Erion Veliaj said.

An explanatory process has taken place in advance with all local residents, who often have fallen prey to disinformation. To the Minister of Infrastructure and Energy, Belinda Balluku, “what matters most is that clear explanations are provided to everyone, because people are often misinformed by the opposition also about other problems we have encountered earlier. “Together with the head of the Kombinat administrative unit and everyone else working in the field we will provide explanations to each resident affected by the reconstruction process and tell them how the new plan will develop, where their new apartments will be built and when the contract between the municipality of Tirana and each affected family will be signed.”

The government head went on inspecting another residential complex, where the demolition work is set to kick off next week. He exchanged with local residents, personally explaining them how they will benefit new living space.  “What I am saying is not what comes to my mind, but it is an entire state working on this. Whoever owns a business, he or she will be provided with new business premises. If someone owns a pharmacy, he or she will benefit a new one. Even this man, who has turned his apartment into business premises, he will receive brand new business premises. Everyone will be granted the property ownership certificate under a contract signed with authorities and which envisages penalties. I mean, if the contract with the state stipulates that an affected resident will benefit a new house with a certain living space by May 2022, the state will be penalized if it fails to deliver on its commitment under the terms of the contract. If three families share a single home, once reconstruction completes, the three families will receive three houses, one house each,” the Premier told residents.

A total of 1600 quake-affected families in the area of Kombinat will be housed in new apartments, which are set to be constructed to be not only safer and more beautiful than the old houses, but they will be also living in a brand new residential neighbourhood that meets optimum contemporary conditions.