The Gračanica Municipality has issued a public protest against the Kosovo Government following the expropriation of more than 13 hectares of municipal land. The local authorities claim that the decision was made without any consultation with them. The Kosovo Government, according to the municipality, merely notified them of the appropriation and the plan to hand over the land to a charity that intends to build a center for children and elderly people with autism and Down syndrome.
The land in question is to be given to the charity „Jetimat e Ballkanit“ („Orphans of the Balkans“), an organization that has gained prominence in northern Kosovo in recent months for its involvement in building 200 houses for non-Serbs in the area.
In an official statement, Gračanica Municipality expressed strong opposition to the government’s decision:
„The Municipality of Gračanica issues a protest against the Kosovo Government for appropriating 13 hectares and 33 ares of municipal property in the area of Gračanica (Padalište settlement) for the purpose of building the ‘Kosovo Residential Center for Autism, Down Syndrome, and Disability for Children and the Elderly’,“ the statement read.
The municipality stressed that property rights over this land were transferred without their input. Aside from the project’s name, the municipality claims to have had no prior insight into the process and only learned of the land appropriation through the decision that was forwarded to them.
Without their consent, the municipality alleges, the land has been leased to „Jetimat e Ballkanit“ for 99 years, the organization responsible for constructing the center.
„In the decision of the Kosovo Government, which was sent to Gračanica Municipality without prior consultations and municipal approval, it is stated that the land parcels will be transferred to the Kosovo Government, who will then lease it for 99 years to the charity organization ‘Jetimat e Ballkanit’, which will implement the project.“
The municipality indicated that the center is expected to be built between the court and the new Gračanica cemetery, based on an analysis of cadastral parcel numbers listed in the government decision.
“Shameful and Undemocratic”
The municipal administration has condemned the land appropriation as a „shameful and undemocratic“ move, regardless of the project’s intended purpose:
„Without delving into the essence or purpose of the center, we consider the Kosovo Government’s decision to seize municipal property a shameful and undemocratic option aimed at destabilizing and undermining the public interest of the local population.“
Gračanica Municipality is demanding that the Kosovo Government reconsider and withdraw the decision, calling for respect for local residents’ rights and their voice in the matter.
The municipality has also requested a public debate on the project and its impact on the community. They posed a question to the Kosovo Government: on what analyses and statistics did they base the decision to choose Gračanica as the location for this center?
The Kosovo Government has yet to comment, though KoSSev portal has reached out to them for a response.
“Jetimat e Ballkanit” Active in Northern Kosovo
The charity organization „Jetimat e Ballkanit“ has been especially active in northern Kosovo since mid-August 2024. The head of the organization, Halil Kastrati, signed an agreement with the current Minister of Administration and Local Government, Elbert Krasniqi, to fund the construction of more than 200 houses in four northern municipalities.
The charity will finance 100 of these houses, aiming to strengthen minority communities in the north, including Albanians, Bosniaks, Turks, Roma, Ashkali, and Egyptians. The Serbian community was notably absent from the discussion.
Kastrati himself visited the northern region last week, touring the northern part of Mitrovica and inspecting three houses his organization is building.
He has previously met with Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti, with their last publicized meeting taking place in March of this year.
Preuzimanje i objavljivanje tekstova sa portala KoSSev nije dozvoljeno bez navođenja izvora. Hvala na poštovanju etike novinarske profesije.
