A citizen from the village of Volljakë in Klina, who has been voluntarily cleaning the village environment for more than a decade, has been fined by the Kosovo Police after placing garbage on the street as a sign of protest against the lack of institutional response.
Milazim Berisha says that for 10 years he has been taking care of the cleanliness of the village every day, collecting waste along the roads and public spaces.
"When I wake up in the morning, I fill a sack to the end of Volljak. From the tombstone there to here it's almost 2 and a half kilometers. I've been doing this here for 10 years... I'm a war veteran. I live on 204 euros. But thanks to the village, the village is giving me the courage to do these jobs. If it weren't for the village, I wouldn't be able to do absolutely anything with these 204 euros," says Berisha.
He says that he had recently collected dozens of bags of garbage, but the lack of institutional response has prompted him to take a symbolic act of protest.
"The night before, I had collected 45 bags. When I woke up in the morning, I saw them all on the asphalt. The next day I went again, I collected them, both them and the others... I called, no one came. The police came to me," Berisha adds.
Berisha says that his intention was not to block the road, but to attract the attention of institutions.
"I don't blame the police either, because I'm guilty myself. But first I had the bags on my side. When I saw that no one was going to react... I did them as a sign of protest," he says.
According to the Kosovo Police, on April 7, at around 16:00 PM, the incident was reported at the entrance to the village of Volljakë. Police say that the road was not blocked, but that the citizen had placed about 60 bags of garbage in a longitudinal line in the middle of the road, for which he was issued a mandatory fine based on the law in force.
Meanwhile, the regional waste company "Ambienti" says that it was not informed in advance about the case, but appreciated the citizen's initiative.
"It was a voluntary initiative of a citizen, which I thank... every citizen initiative, we send the team and transport the waste... in the case in question, we had no information," says Idriz Beqiri, KRM "Ambienti".
He adds that the intervention was made only after being notified by the police.
"In the case in question, we had no information, no notification, except when the police station in Klina notified us. Upon receiving the notification, I immediately engaged the teams and they went and removed the waste," says Beqiri.
Berisha, meanwhile, says he is not seeking reward for his work, but rather institutional recognition.
"I expected praise, thanks from the municipality. Why did I get a ticket?! Thanks again," says Berisha.
The case has opened a debate in public opinion about the treatment of citizen initiatives and the institutional response to environmental pollution. /rtk
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