Works on the construction of the road Vidomirice-Banov Do in the Zvecan municipality continue. Two days ago, the deputy commander for the region north, Veton Elshani, confirmed for KoSSev that the works are ongoing after a discussion with the residents of these villages. However, the locals made differing claims. „We didn’t get anything, either in writing or verbally, they just struck violently,“ declared one Banov Do resident.
A week ago, the leader of the newly formed Serbian Democracy Party, Aleksandar Arsenijević, informed the public that the construction of roads in these villages had begun. „The works are being carried out on private property and an unknown construction company is illegally constructing the road,“ he warned at the time.
He also said that none of the landowners had been notified about the construction and that they were afraid „armed special forces will be strolling around their yard“.
On the other hand, the Kosovo Police claim that no base for special units is being built, but „just an ordinary road for use by residents“.
At the end of last week, KoSSev reached out to the Kosovo Ministry of Infrastructure, which is responsible for road construction, for more information. However, no answer had arrived by the time the news was published.
A day later – the works were suspended.
This decision was made after the representatives of the Serbian Democracy party, along with the residents of Banov Do, alerted the public and filed a criminal complaint against an unknown person.
At the time, the Kosovo Police said that it was only about part of the route, and that it was a temporary suspension, announcing that in the following days they would „talk to the locals and explain to them that the road is in their interest“.
The works continued two days later, as confirmed for the KoSSev portal by Veton Elshani, who also revealed that the decision was a result of „talks with the residents of these villages“.
KoSSev learned from a well-informed international source that this is a new attempt by the Kosovo government to expropriate private land, without properly applying the law of the same name.
„They must first launch expropriation procedures,“ our interlocutor told us.
The road that is being built leads all the way into Banov Do village.
After visiting the village in question yesterday, a KoSSev journalist observed that the road has now been widened and stretches all the way to the river. In fact, the road goes partly through the river, about fifty meters, and then winds past one of the houses to the main road that leads on one side to Zubin Potok, and on the other to Zvecan.
A road that also passes through the river, for what?
At the site, we found the leader of the Serbian Democracy, Aleksandar Arsenijević, who said that the biggest fear of the locals was the possible construction of a police base.
„Nobody knows what’s going on, this road leads to the village of Vidomirici, and we also have information that it leads to Cabra, so we don’t know what the purpose of the road is, and as you can see, the road passes right through the river,“ Arsenijević said in a statement for KoSSev.
Saying that he saw information in the media that it was actually a case of land expropriation, he noted that nothing was done transparently.
„Nothing was made public, including the company carrying out the works or anything. Whenever any of the villagers react to an excavator or anything near their property, the police are immediately called, who react, not defending the villagers and their property, but defending the construction company,“ Arsenijević claims, adding the machines are registered in the municipality of Orahovac.
Recalling that the works were initially stopped and then continued, Arsenijević says that „a public promise was made“ that there will be no works until a discussion with the locals.
He revealed that the locals were informed on Monday that the Kosovo Minister of Infrastructure and Spatial Planning is coming to meet with them.
„For them to meet with him secretly, so that he would secretly explain public works to them in full view of the public,“ claims this politician.
Ahead of these alleged negotiations, Arsenijević specified that the locals called him after the machines plowed the land for the purposes of road construction in the immediate vicinity of a private home.
„We came and saw that this was pointless, and the locals themselves saw that there was no point in any conversation with the minister, and at that moment everything was rejected,“ says Arsenijević.
„Struck violently“
The locals we met in Banov Do also shared their concerns.
Noting that she has been a resident of this village for 53 years, Djurdjica Ignjatović underscored that she possesses the necessary documentation for her property.
„I have all the documents, but I couldn’t find them at the moment and I was just telling my daughter I want to find them because I keep all the documents. They can see the documents and solve this,“ Djurdjica told KoSSev.
Another resident of Banov Do, Budimir Ignjatović, complained that no one asked the residents anything.
„What are you doing, you are passing right by a house, by the walls? You didn’t even ask whose property it was,“ said Ignjatović.
He also claims that during these works, several of his plum trees were felled, but also that they occupied a part of his field.
This local says that they did not receive any document about the works, nor a warning.
„We didn’t get anything in writing or verbally, they just struck violently,“ he says.
In response to our journalist’s remark that the Kosovo Police denied that a police base would be built, Ignjatović claims otherwise.
„I absolutely do not trust them,“ said Ignjatović.
„We have no life here,“ he warned, claiming that he received information that this road is actually being built for the purposes of the „army“.
Preuzimanje i objavljivanje tekstova sa portala KoSSev nije dozvoljeno bez navođenja izvora. Hvala na poštovanju etike novinarske profesije.
