The market that was never put into operation / The building cost 180 thousand euros, complain the residents of Gjirokastër

2025-01-08 16:09:00, Qyteti im CNA

The market that was never put into operation / The building cost 180 thousand

A building that cost 180,000 euros, which was supposed to serve as a market for the Roma community in Gjirokastra, was never put into operation.

On October 4, 2024, the mayor, Flamur Golemi, together with the Head of the European delegation, Hubert Perr, inaugurated this building, which they considered necessary, but was not frequented by the Roma because of the humidity.

Residents say that previously the place where this market was built was a field and they requested that a corner be made there for children, but this request of the residents was not taken into account. Today, this hundreds of millions building does not perform its function, this fact is confirmed by the residents of the "Zinjira" neighborhood.

Skenderi is one of the retired artisans who work with birch and at the same time the head of the Roma community in Gjirokastër. According to him, there are a total of 4-5 Roma artisans and those of the third age in this market. Skenderi claims for CNA that he requested that the Roma market be invested in the Gërhot neighborhood where Roma go out in the middle of the street to sell their products, but the decision was made by the Municipality.

Roma sell only on sunny days because in the rain they can't go out in the middle of the street. While the new market is not frequented since the neighborhood where it was built is in the suburbs and no one goes there. Skenderi affirms the same.

"Yes, we have never come here, who will come here, you come here to buy, no, I asked for the market to be held with Gërhot, but they do it here, when the mayor came, he gathered us here and I all the baskets I had made during the summer, I gave it to foreigners because it was difficult for me to get money from them", said Skenderi, head of the Roma community in Gjirokastër.

As the Mayor of Gjirokastra invests millions of Lek for a market that will never work, the fruit and vegetable traders sell on the street, the Roma community also on the street.

In the Zinxhira neighborhood, the Roma community itself, but also the other residents, do not receive any services from the municipality, when it rains, the streets turn into swamps, while the garbage has reached the streets.

Children and the elderly have only one alternative where to go to relax, they pay for entertainment in the few private spaces such as the city's bars. /CNA