"He threatened us"/ Details of clashes at the Pogradec Municipal Council meeting revealed

2025-11-10 16:08:00, Aktualitet CNA

"He threatened us"/ Details of clashes at the Pogradec Municipal

After the approval of the sixth item on the agenda, which envisaged the leasing of 34.6 hectares of land in the village of Çërrava, the situation got out of control. After the councilors approved this decision with 20 votes in favor, the debates escalated into physical violence between a councilor and a resident of the area.

The incident occurred after strong opposition from the residents of Çërrava, who were present in the hall and considered the decision unfair. According to them, the land that will be leased is part of the pastures that they have been using for years for livestock. Kevi Muçllari, who was involved in the physical conflict with councilor Çngjëll Shyti, tells more about the incident that occurred.

"As you saw yourself, there was a moment of tension because Engjëll Shyti, a councilor, stood up and threatened us because of what I said, a moment of irritation, tension. It is understood that after the decision was approved, we were totally against it. The mayor said that these are whims. This is untrue until the moment when the situation was calm, everything was rational. All the arguments that we presented and that we have presented repeatedly are known and are very reasonable. At these moments, the mayor said that this is a whim and let's vote on it.

From this moment, the tension with the municipal council member also occurred. It is certainly the fact that we are not going to leave this matter here. Even the councilors should be ashamed that they held this position from the beginning, and even those who changed it. I am sorry, those who changed it should have faced this situation, changing their beliefs as well. This matter does not stop there, we will continue to follow all legal steps. This is unacceptable because the entire community is affected and we will fight because we have nothing to do”, said Kevi Muçllari, a resident of Çërrava.

After the meeting, other villagers also reacted, expressing concern that the land lease will hinder their pastures and livestock activities. Genci Besholli says that they will also have clashes with the people who will lease the land because they will not allow them to take it.

"Today it was decided to lease the lands that we have pastures in the village of Çërrava. Those that were pastures were not included in the council meeting, but even those that are closer to our stables, our work is disrupted even worse. As soon as our cattle leave the stables, they will directly collide with those who will rent the lands. If they occupy the territory where we leave the stables directly, it will mean that we will not be able to pass through other pastures. We will not let it go, we will continue to hold our protests. Whoever comes to rent the lands will have problems with our village," declared Genci Besholli, a resident of Çërrava.

Independent councilor Arbër Male has also taken a critical stance towards the decision, accusing the municipality of putting pressure on councilors and favoritism in the distribution of land. Among other things, he calls for a media investigation, as according to him, there is a lot of land that has been taken by the directors of the Pogradec municipality.

"What we all did not want happened today. The Municipality of Pogradec is the author of these social conflicts among the residents affected by these decisions. I want to denounce the pressure exerted on the municipal councilors to approve this draft decision. It affects the entire Çërrava because the residents develop their economy through livestock and agriculture. Many of the lands that the Municipality of Pogradec has released are not being developed and this shows that they have benefited from IPARD funds. I call on investigative shows to seek information from the Municipality of Pogradec because there is a lot of land that has been taken by the directors of the municipality", declared Arbër Male, an independent councilor.

Meanwhile, the Municipality of Pogradec justifies the decision as being in accordance with the law on land protection and agricultural development. According to officials, the land to be leased is part of the municipality's orchards, while pastures are excluded from the draft decision.

"At the Municipal Council meeting, the municipality had presented a draft decision for the lease of some agricultural lands, which are orchards, the residents came and opposed it. These lands are orchards with ownership certificates from the Municipality of Pogradec and will be given for agricultural purposes as stated in the law on land protection. As everywhere in Albania, the occupier becomes the owner and the municipality has thought of developing these lands and receiving income from its property. At the request of the residents, the municipality has reacted by removing the pasture part from the draft decision and this entire part, which is used by them as pasture, has been left free while the other part, which is orchards, will be given for agricultural and livestock purposes. The law allows the construction of agro-voltaics on agricultural lands, but there is a specific instruction that defines the paths that each applicant must follow. We are open to different residents with genuine projects to apply to receive these lands for agricultural and livestock purposes," said Nexho Torra, head of the property title verification and expropriation sector.

While the municipality considers the decision legal and fair, the residents of Çërrava warn that they will continue to protest and use legal means to oppose it. The conflict over land in this area remains open, increasing tensions between the community and local institutions./ CNA