Residents of Çërrava in protest/ "They are taking our inherited lands for solar panels"

2025-08-24 12:21:00, Aktualitet CNA

Residents of Çërrava in protest/ "They are taking our inherited

Residents of the village of Çërrava in Pogradec have staged a fierce protest today, opposing a project to install solar panels on pastures and agricultural lands in the area. They say this is their only asset and the village's livelihood relies entirely on agriculture and livestock.

Concerned, residents raise the alarm that the installation of solar panels will deprive them of the pastures and agricultural land they use and own, some of which is planted with their crops. They say that if the project is implemented, the village will be left without a livelihood.

"I have been raising sheep for 20 years and this is how we have supported our family. Today, we have other problems and they want to remove us from the mountain of the village of Çërrava that we inherited from our grandparents. On that mountain, I have 10 hectares of my grandfather's land."

"This village will live on these lands, we will keep the livestock. I alone have 200 sheep, where will I take them? I don't know what they want to do, they are making their own calculations on our land."

A public consultation was organized a week ago, which according to residents was formal and lacking transparency. They claim that the municipality of Pogradec has already included this project for approval on the agenda of the Municipal Council.

"A public consultation was held 1 week ago that turned out to be false. The Municipality of Pogradec has put it on the agenda, to approve this draft decision, to take the livestock lands from the village of Çërravë. Can agriculture and livestock be developed on panels? It is the last forest asset that this village has left. As a member of the municipal council, I am against this decision-making and I call on you to come out against this initiative. With this initiative, they are telling the residents to leave because there is no future here."

The farmers and herders of Çërrava say they will not back down. They warn that they will continue the protests if the decision is not withdrawn and demand a reaction from state institutions, but also from the area's deputies, who, according to them, only appear in campaigns, but not when the village has vital problems.

"We use and own the land, some of it is planted. If that land is taken, there is no room for livestock or anything else. The MP should come here, because he comes for votes, not for problems. We can't ask for anything and we can't solve anything. The wealth we have there shouldn't be touched because we are keeping things alive."

"We have received loans to build stables and increase our livestock. From what we have heard, they want to install solar panels on the pastures of our village. We will continue the protests because they have surrounded us on all sides. This time it has reached a point where it can no longer hold. We will protest until they listen to us."

The residents of Çërrava are determined not to retreat from the protest and to protect the pastures inherited from generation to generation. They warn that the confrontation with the institutions will continue until their voices are heard and the solar panel project is withdrawn. For them, this is a battle for the survival of the village./ CNA