His latest mandate, Lutfi Haziri, will no longer be chairman of Gjilan

The first of Gjilan says that during the following year, they have managed to realise all the first projects for 2020. And this year, it aims to turn Gjilan into a city of bicycles.

Haziri in an interview shows he is not targeting another mandate at the helm of Gjilan, while adding that he has fulfilled all projects intended for the municipality, while the few left say they will end this year.

“We have been facing the pandemic in Gjilan on February 22nd, we have started the first measures, while on March 13th, the government has made executive decisions according to ICHP recommendations and we have respected them.... Over the course of the year, despite the difficulties, we have intervened in 16 families, with social assistance, intervened in the small economy or family economy sector, and have managed to preserve at least to this stage, until the adoption of the government's economic package, and economic well-being in the municipality of Gjilan”, Haziri says.

The Gjilan municipality, over the past year, has been working on daily bases in preventing pandemics.

Haziri says he has distinguished himself for good management, maintaining the health of citizens and their well-being.

“The QKFM has managed to have as many as 92 daily visits to the family and has removed the need for citizens to go to hospital for treatment. It has reduced both the reason and the number and the demand that people be addressed to the hospital. If the medical team goes and treats the sufferer at home, gives him assistance, medical advice, and the medicine we've provided, then, of course, he has been treated and such treatment has been welcomed. The hospital has been more dismissed, there have been situations like we had in August and September, where the General Hospital is tense because of the large number, and the lack of tools, but has been managed to deal with these capacities we have”, he relates.

According to the Gjilan municipality's estimates, it turns out that the pandemic is mostly affected by the small economy.

While it has been warned of escalation of the situation, Chairman Haziri is optimistic that such a thing will be avoided by the inoculation of the population.

We've lost nearly 780 jobs that were mostly family businesses, those who haven't been able to afford total closure. The rest, service sectors, in particular gastronomia, are at risk. The change of opening deadlines ? closing the premises, restrictions, exploitation measures, the country as much as it can be used, all of these have led to a serious impact on their business. But I'm hoping that the subsidies of the economic package will make it a little easier. Even the transport service sector has had an impact. Other subjects have better coped with”, Haziri explains.

Despite problems with pandemic, Gjilan's first says that even the following year, infrastructure and public investments have not lacked, while adding that a six-month delay has affected the mid-term projects.

As he says, investments in the first area of the city are the ones to be worked on this year as well.

“We're thinking of our public investments in the first area to lower the need to use cars in the city, to turn it into a city of bicycles, not because we have our bicycle factory, the only one in Kosovo, but even further away from the use of cars because infrastructure will be built so that citizens will then be able and equal access to the city without hostage and in very short time, he says.

In addition, Haziri shows that this is his last term at the helm of Gjilan, and that the new chairman from infrastructure investments will remain building the new municipality facility.

“I am here until the mandate is expected to end because regular elections are expected to be somewhere in October of this year. However, it will depend entirely on the developments in the extraordinary elections we have, but it has never happened that local elections will not be held on its calendar since independence. Until then I have no other plan, no other request. I want to remain loyal to the citizens of Gjilan, who have voted to be mayor of Gjilan four times, three times to be their deputy and three times to be in government. Outside the vote I don't see any other legitimacy”, he points to Kp.

Despite difficulties caused by the pandemic, Lutfi Haziri says that during 2020, Gjilan managed to identify himself as the capital of culture, which after having managed to choose the status of Ansabli of actors and theatre workers.