Illegal building brought down and gambling establishments closed in media show of force.
TIRANA, Oct. 21 – Eager to show it has hit the ground running, Albania’s new government has taken a series of actions to deal with some of the country’s most visible problems – illegal construction and the proliferation of gambling establishments.
In power for just five weeks, the government has been particularly keen in taking actions that yield the most media attention, including demolishing a multi-storey building in Tirana, which has been deemed to have been built irregularly and without the proper documentation.
The move became a media show to see the controlled explosion that failed to bring the building down. It had to later be brought down with machinery. Authorities say they are planning to do the same with another seven-floor building on the seaside city of Vlora.
The new government has made proper urban planning its priority – and the actions appear to mimic Prime Minister Edi Rama’s first days as mayor of Tirana more than a decade ago, when he demolished hundreds of illegal constructions in downtown Tirana.
The government says it will do the same around the country. Many such buildings or billboards are set along the national roads, when the law says they should be at least 20 meters away. Many are built illegally along the seaside, often ruining the environment.
The government says they will be all demolished. It has already acted to pull down all the billboards not properly set along the main road from Tirana to Durres.
Operation against gambling continues
A massive countrywide operation gambling operations operating without proper licenses continued this week, with authorities having shut down about 80 percent of all establishments operating in Tirana.
The operation dubbed “End to Craziness” is continuing, with police reporting daily to the media. Authorities have checked more than 1,200 small companies operating in the field. They have blocked hundreds of them and also filed criminal charges against more than 400 people. Police have confiscated hundreds of pieces of gambling equipment. Authorities have also hinted that many of the casino owners had links with former government’s senior officials.
Besides interior ministry have also started legal proceedings against a few top officials caught in contacting casino owners to tell them about police operation.
Deforestation targeted
At the same time, authorities have started another action to stop the forest cuts that have destroyed hundreds of thousands of hectares.
Interior and environment ministers reached a deal in fighting illegal activity in the area, complaining that though official figures show some 155,000 trees cut in the last decade their number could be almost ten times higher.
The new government is also planning to make a better management of the tourist areas and archaeological sites. They have stopped new buildings all over the country, likely going toward a six-month moratorium.
