Haradinaj turns budget to Dukajni

“... The time has come for Dukagjin. It's time for this three of us to enter the development map. I mean, Dukaagjini is in order now and we have to work on this three before the”, he pledged Haradinaj.

That is what the budget document for 2018 indicates.

In the area where the prime minister comes from under listed projects there will not remain a road without asphalt, new schools will be built and sports infrastructure improved.

The Word newspaper has compared previous projects for next year to those of this year, and generally notes an increase in investments in the Dukagjini region as in the field of education, culture, sports, road infrastructure.

There are over 22 priority projects to be implemented in co-finance with municipalities or carried out by this year's revised budget, while 14 projects are new to the municipalities of Decani, Pec and Gjakova.

The expansion of the Dolc-Gjakov road, which would cost 5.9m euros, is a larger road projects expected to be realised along with the construction of the Decani-Kukari National Road with Montenegro, worth 2.4m euros.

 Decani Increases Budget

As he had promised in the campaign, Prime Minister Haradinaj has seen to it that as many capital projects as possible in Dukagjin, especially in his hometown, Decani.

Under the budget for 2018, the Decani municipality will have an 8.5m-euro budget. Of them, capital expenditures are around 2m euros, while another 5m euros will go for pay and hire.

Meanwhile, these 2m-euro capital investments are only of the municipality, without including other capital projects for Deccanin that will be financed by the central level.

Based on the published list of projects, it notes that the municipality's spending on capital investment will mainly go to road infrastructure. Among the major projects is it for road construction in villages, totaling 43 kilometers, with a budget of 200 thousand euros.

The big project is also building the “road Luan Haradinaj” and “Nation witnesses” with a budget of 300 thousand euros and the construction of the river's bed “Lumbre” along with the central level.

Millions for Sports and Culture in Dukagjin

For 2018, from the Culture Ministry budget, only for stadiums to be built in Peja, Decani and Pec's Novoselle are between 1 million and 750 thousand euros.

“For the construction of the city stadium in Pec have been earmarked 1m and 200 thousand euros, and for the city stadium in Decan, 250 thousand euros have been allocated, while for the stadium in the village of Novoselle of Pec, 300 thousand euros have been allocated”, the draft law on the Kosovo Republic budget for 2018, a copy of which the Word newspaper has provided.

The budget also envisions the construction of tennis complex in the Gjakova municipality, worth 100,000 euros, the construction of the Judo National Centre in Pec, which totals 750 thousand euros, as well as the construction of sports gyms in Zahaq of Peja and Gyestra in Decani, worth 160 thousand euros.

Projects for this region within this ministry do not end here. Construction of the Hasa Culture Centre in Gjakova, the Youth Centre in Junik, the Youth Centre at Petershan in Gjakova, amounting to 800 thousand euros, are other projects that are meant to be realised.

For the preservation and protection of cultural sites, 253 thousand euros are earmarked.

“The Sheremert Pee Tower Guard -40 thousand euros, the Traditional House Rysit Kupiska in Gjakova -- 65 thousand euros, the Qahshi House in Pec 58 thousand euros, and Nimon Ferizi's House in Gjakova 90 thousand euros”, says the bill on the 2017 budget.

Millions of Projects in Dukagjin for Education

Special attention in the budget has also been paid to capital projects in education. In the municipality from which the prime minister comes, Decani Ministry of Education has preceded building a school in the village of Ratisha with a budget of 200 thousand euros.

Also, another 250,000 euros this ministry is scheduled for the renovation of two schools in the villages of Drinovac and Pobergje.

Capital projects in education will also go to two other municipalities in Dukagjin, Gjakova and Peja.

A school with a budget of 400 thousand euros will be built in Gjakova, while a 150 thousand-euro high-school renovation will take place in Pec “Peter Bogdani<x1 with a budget of 150 thousand euros.

Millions of euros in Pec and Gjakova will also be spent on the renovation of public universities. Thus the renovation of Pec University will cost 2.3m euros, while the renovation of the Gjakova University will be 1.3m euros.