K. Serb villages still without electricity

The government secured two generators producing 10 kilowatts each for the village of Priluzje, which is going ten days without electricity. Thanks to the two generators, schools in the village have reopened. Another was also purchased by the local government so that all the needs of the local administration and hospitals could be met as well. K. Serb villages still without electricity On the other hand, villagers in another Kosovo Serb village, Silovo, announced today that they would continue protests. “We want to show our discontent through peaceful protests because he have not had electricity in 15 days, and we will persevere in our demands,” Silovo local administrative council president Aleksandar Petrovic said. Deputy President of the Vucitrn municipality Milorad Stolic said that protests will not continue in Priluzje even though there has not been electricity in the village for 15 days. “There will be no protests today because we were told that there are ongoing discussions between Belgrade and UNMIK for solving the problem, and the way in which Serbs pay for electricity – that is why we have decided to call off the protests for the time being,” he said. Stolic reminded that the schools, which have some 450 students, were not working for a period of time for lack of elementary conditions. “The Ministry for Kosovo provided a generator for the school in order to secure the minimal conditions for working, so classes have started again today,” Stolic said. He reminded that the two-week power cuts affected the hospital in Priluzje as well, which was only accepting emergency cases, taking patients by ambulance to the hospital in northern Kosovska Mitrovica. The Kosovo energy company (KEK) turned off the electricity in the villages of Priluzje and Grace in the Vucitrn municipality and Babin Most, Pelemetini and Crkvenoj Vodici in the Obilic municipality because of unpaid bills. Some 5,000 Serbs live in those villages, with about 3,000 living in Priluzje alone, which is the largest Serb village in Kosovo. Yesterday, it was heard that the total debt for consumed electricity in Kosovo is EUR 360mn, with Serbs owing more than 35 percent of the sum. This is close to EUR 121mn, the energy ministry of the Kosovo Albanian government in Pristina stated. Because of unpaid electricity bills, 20 Kosovo villages have not been without power for over ten days. Kosovo Energy Minister Justina Siroka-Pulja said that "Albanians live in most of these villages". "Five of the villages are predominantly Serb while the other five have a mixed population," she said. Siroka-Pulja said that the Kosovo Energy Corporation (KEK) is not ready to write off the debt, but that it is ready to reprogram it if Serbs pay 30 percent. “We have said to let them in their communities choose who they want to. We will send a worker from KEK and they will go from home to home together, register and sign together, and we will see whether that will be some kind of guarantee,” she said. “If they start paying since January that will be a lump-sum payment. First we calculated EUR 15-20, which depends on the region, how much they spend and that part can go to EUR 26 at the most,” Siroka-Pulja said. Meanwhile, villagers from the village of Grncari in the Vitina municipality protested yesterday because of a seven-day lack of electricity. They are calling on KEK to install a new transformer in that Serb village, which they bought themselves, and to stop insisting on the payment of old debts. Some villages in Kosovsko Pomoravlje district, and in the central part, have not have electricity for two weeks, and some do not even have water. Even though these villages accepted the demand of KEK to finance the repair of the needed equipment themselves and allow a selective reading of their electric meters, KEK is calling for earlier debts to be paid as well. In the mixed village of Mogila, in which some 300 Serbs live, electricity was restored on Sunday – but not to the 30 Serb homes, state broadcaster RTS reported. Because of the cold temperatures, the number of sick people and villagers with stomach problems has increased.

K. Serb villages still without electricity

On the other hand, villagers in another Kosovo Serb village, Šilovo, announced today that they would continue protests.

“We want to show our discontent through peaceful protests because he have not had electricity in 15 days, and we will persevere in our demands,” Šilovo local administrative council president Aleksandar Petrović said.

Deputy President of the Vučitrn municipality Milorad Stolić said that protests will not continue in Prilužje even though there has not been electricity in the village for 15 days.

“There will be no protests today because we were told that there are ongoing discussions between Belgrade and UNMIK for solving the problem, and the way in which Serbs pay for electricity – that is why we have decided to call off the protests for the time being,” he said.

Stolić reminded that the schools, which have some 450 students, were not working for a period of time for lack of elementary conditions.

“The Ministry for Kosovo provided a generator for the school in order to secure the minimal conditions for working, so classes have started again today,” Stolić said.

He reminded that the two-week power cuts affected the hospital in Prilužje as well, which was only accepting emergency cases, taking patients by ambulance to the hospital in northern Kosovska Mitrovica.

The Kosovo energy company (KEK) turned off the electricity in the villages of Prilužje and Grace in the Vučitrn municipality and Babin Most, Pelemetini and Crkvenoj Vodici in the Obilić municipality because of unpaid bills.

Some 5,000 Serbs live in those villages, with about 3,000 living in Prilužje alone, which is the largest Serb village in Kosovo.

Yesterday, it was heard that the total debt for consumed electricity in Kosovo is EUR 360mn, with Serbs owing more than 35 percent of the sum.

This is close to EUR 121mn, the energy ministry of the Kosovo Albanian government in Priština stated.

Because of unpaid electricity bills, 20 Kosovo villages have not been without power for over ten days.

Kosovo Energy Minister Justina Siroka-Pulja said that "Albanians live in most of these villages".

"Five of the villages are predominantly Serb while the other five have a mixed population," she said.

Siroka-Pulja said that the Kosovo Energy Corporation (KEK) is not ready to write off the debt, but that it is ready to reprogram it if Serbs pay 30 percent.

“We have said to let them in their communities choose who they want to. We will send a worker from KEK and they will go from home to home together, register and sign together, and we will see whether that will be some kind of guarantee,” she said.

“If they start paying since January that will be a lump-sum payment. First we calculated EUR 15-20, which depends on the region, how much they spend and that part can go to EUR 26 at the most,” Siroka-Pulja said.

Meanwhile, villagers from the village of Grnčari in the Vitina municipality protested yesterday because of a seven-day lack of electricity.

They are calling on KEK to install a new transformer in that Serb village, which they bought themselves, and to stop insisting on the payment of old debts.

Some villages in Kosovsko Pomoravlje district, and in the central part, have not have electricity for two weeks, and some do not even have water.

Even though these villages accepted the demand of KEK to finance the repair of the needed equipment themselves and allow a selective reading of their electric meters, KEK is calling for earlier debts to be paid as well.

In the mixed village of Mogila, in which some 300 Serbs live, electricity was restored on Sunday – but not to the 30 Serb homes, state broadcaster RTS reported.

Because of the cold temperatures, the number of sick people and villagers with stomach problems has increased.