TIRANA, July 22 /ATA/ Prime Minister Edi Rama discussed the government’s work in Theth and the future development of mountain tourism during a meeting with local residents on the Mountain Package.
He rejected allegations that the government had encouraged illegal construction in the area, saying its policy had consistently been to legalise existing buildings, not to permit new unauthorised ones.
“It is completely false to claim that I came here and told people to keep building because the government would legalise everything. What I said was that we would legalise the existing structures,” Rama said.
The prime minister said that in a protected natural area such as Theth, many homes inherited over generations lacked proper documentation, adding that the legalisation process applies only to existing structures.
According to Rama, a wave of illegal construction followed his visit to Theth, reaching what he described as one of the village’s most iconic areas.
“What happened, as you know very well, was that illegal construction spread here after my visit. Even the heart of Theth was not spared,” Rama said.
Rama pointed to the Church of Theth and the surrounding meadow, one of the area’s best-known landmarks, as an example.
“If you search for ‘Theth’ in any language on Google, the first image that appears is the church with its green meadow. That meadow was occupied, several wooden houses were quickly built, the area was fenced off, covered with gravel and turned into a scar in the heart of Theth,” the prime minister said.
He said the government’s objective was to steer the development of mountain areas towards higher standards through quality projects and strict adherence to urban planning rules.
“We now need to elevate development to the next stage. That means improving quality through a proper system of permits and well-planned projects, not by telling people to ‘just go ahead and build’,” Rama said.
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