Nine families displaced from the north of Mitrovica, who after the war built their homes in the Industrial Zone in the south of the city, are on trial with Infrakos Company for ownership of parcels, where they have been living for more than two decades.
Residents claim to have settled in this area between 2000 and 2003, after losing their homes in northern Mitrovica. According to them, for many years there have been no disputes regarding staying on this property until 2024, when Infrakos asked for her release.
Agim Boletini, one of the residents, has stated that families have been forced to build houses in this area because they had nowhere to be placed after the war.
We have been deployed here shortly after the war, from 2000 to 2003. This is where we put the houses. We’re all north of here. We’ve got houses north of here, somebody’s under-scheduled dwellings, I’ve lost the property of destruction, and we’re sitting here because we haven’t had anywhere to go, Boletini said.
He claims families have paid electricity, water and tax on property for years, while he says they have not been aware of Infrako’s property claims.
Boletin has announced that in 2023 they applied for the legalisation of homes, while a year later they received notice from Infrakos on the release of property within 14 days.
According to him, the dispute relates to several cadastral parcels, which he claims a part has been privatised for the 99-year period, while the parcel where their houses are located is contested by the company’s ownership.
Infrakos has put him on trial and we’re in the process, he has declared.
Meanwhile, from Infrakos they have told Kosovo Press that cadastral parcels 026288-4 and 02688-1 figure registered in the cadastra on behalf of the company, which, according to them, is witnessed through the respective certificates of ownership.
This company has indicated that the requirements for regulating judicial relations with property users and their release in cases when no agreement is reached date back to 2010.
Infrakos, through legal procedures, requires the release of public (state) property, while other access requirements linking with the period of exploitation are handled during legal procedures and assessed by the Court, the company’s response reported.
Infrakos has also stressed that over the past few years, it has intensified activities to identify property that are exploited without valid lease contracts and to take legal measures to protect them.
According to the company, residents have been notified through meetings, verbal communications and written reports concerning the legal status of property and the need to regulate relations with it.
Infrakos has indicated that her actions rely on the Law for the Railways of Kosovo, specifically in articles 45 and 128, which, according to her, define responsibilities for managing and protecting railway assets.
The case is already in judicial procedure, while the final decision regarding property dispute is expected to be clarified through competent institutions. /Kp/