Homes for Serb returnees in Kosovo remain empty, or sold

Much money has been invested in the construction and reconstruction of houses of displaced Serbs, but that was probably not enough, since many of the homes are empty, while villages to return without people, RTK2 said in the Serbian language.

According to the public service on the territory of the municipality of Kline are 250 Serb permanent residents, though in municipal documents of the Office for Return, the number 1,500 figures are broadcast by Koha.net.

The director of the Community Office in the Cline municipality, Silija Raskoviq, says that people represent the whole family for return, though the situation on the ground is different.

The permanent “Banors are 260 Serbs, while during the summer period there are about 400”, RTK2 quoted Raskovikn as saying that the trend of returning and moving back continues, while the main reason for this is the inability to employ new people.

Raskovic confirms that many houses built for return to the territory of the municipality of Kline are empty.

“Some have died, young people cannot find jobs, because there is no work for Albanians either and let alone employing any Serb”, Raskovic says, broadcast Koha.net.

Bozidar Sharkoviqi has returned to Videya in 2009, while in her words this village is among the rare where the return has been successful. He considers that Kosovo's Ministry of State, through which the return process is carried out, would have to be with larger projects and with a union of means to support returnees.

“Two 2,500 euro grants don't mean anything, people sell it to pay back debts. Families need to be linked to larger grants and through the combination of tools, so that three or four families can receive 100 thousand euros and open a” plant, says Sharkovic.

According to some data from the Community Office, about 800 Serbs live in the municipality of Istog, but are not confirmed if they live there constantly.

Lubomir Milkoviq, from Ulalc in the Istog municipality, has returned in 2015, which RTK2 has told him that there are villages where houses are arranged, but no one lives in them.

As an example, he refers to the neighboring upper Dragolevc, where 60 houses were built, while only 6 people live there are accompanied by Time.net.

There are some people who return only for grants that receive returnees, and the biggest harm is that grants are given to such and not to those who actually live there”, Milkovic said.

Even at other locations to return to Kosovo, such as Bablak and Babushi in Ferizaj, and Opterusa at Rahoveci, houses where no one lives to say.

RTK2 in the Serbian language says that from the Ministry for Communities and Kthim it has not been able to get answers on the topic of sustainable return and misuse of grants for return, Koha.net conveys.