Tomorrow protest on poor situation in KEK, Kosovo towards energy collapse

Kosovo with great coal potential, but continues to have electricity problems, so that there is a possibility that the country will remain in the dark, the price of electricity will rise, while there are close to 5,000 workers who can remain without their jobs.

The land expropriation problem in the 52 hectares area has brought the country into a very serious energy situation.

Kosovo Energy Corporation New Trade Union Chairman Rafet Osmani has said in an interview for Kosovo Press that on August 2nd, he will organise protests to prevent the worst.

“We call on Kosovo citizens to join us in protest on August 2nd, meaning on Wednesday, from 12 to 13 because we will face major electricity reductions and drastic increases in electricity prices. Management has to take responsibility for the workers because we currently have 40,000 and 800 workers and are at risk of jobs without their blame. Then there will be great damage to Kosovo's economy, Kosovo businesses, investors who have thought to invest in Kosovo will withdraw”, Osmani has said.

He has also warned sweeping strikes if competent bodies do not take immediate measures following the August 2nd protest.

If, after this protest, we face a deaf ear to the Government, the relevant ministries, then the New Energy Union will hold a sweeping strike by all KEK workers before the Government and before the relevant ministries”, he said.

For the situation, Osmani has blamed the KEK management that has so far hidden the current situation, as well as the Ministry of Economic Development and Spatial Planning, while adding that even the Obiliki Municipal Framework has not acted on the Government's 52 ha decision, for the area that has been declared a region of particular interest.

He even pointed out that from 30 homes in that section, about 300 are present today.

Most responsible here are the Government of Kosovo with the relevant ministries, such as the Ministry of Economic Development and the Ministry of Environment and Spatial Planning, along with the Obilic Assembly, which leaves it has not implemented the Government's decision, but at the same time they have sabotaged them, failing to operate their own own inspectorates, both central and municipal level. Because they have not done their jobs in the Obiliki municipality, and the Ministry's Inspectorate, in this area since 2004 as many as 30 houses, more than 250 houses are built there today, more than 250 houses where people have built for their own interests, where they support their identity behind villagers who figure out cadastral parcels at the level of the Comunal <x0).

When these power capacities have been able to work and exist even during the recent war and bombing, Osman said the worst is that the existing ones are now at risk.

He stressed that Kosovo would thus be forced to buy much more expensive coals from other countries, while the country has sufficient coal quantities.

The “against major investments that have been after the war in KEK since the war, only in the existing mine in southwest Sibovcin, has been invested somewhere around 200m euros, while in the entire KEK around 1 billion euros. After all these investments, after all these coal reserves of this national wealth, put us before the act committed to buy coals at very expensive prices from the region. This is where someone has to take responsibility and face justice”, Osman said.

According to him, the worst thing is that KEK's management hasn't prepared a plan for 'B' in case of failure of the first plan, which has already happened.

The guilty management is because it has not prepared the plan for the introduction of excavors towards the village of Lismir, meaning in the southern part to be attacked even for that reason they won't be stuck and couldn't have come to this alarming situation what was created today in the Kosovo Energy Corporation”, he said.

By contrast, the 52 hectares area has been declared a special area by the Government of the Republic of Kosovo on November 3rd 2004, which holds the number of decision 4/119 and the decision number 2/57, dated March 13th 2009, with which the Ministry of Environment and Spatial Planning and the Municipal Assembly of Obilic are obliged to react to the government's reform decisions and not be allowed construction in these areas of particular economic interest. /N. Jakupi.