Kosovo Serbs Still Without Power Despite Deal
Belgrade | 03 July 2009 |
Gracanica (archive)
Residents in the Kosovo Serb enclave of Gracanica are still without electricity despite Thursday’s agreement between officials in Gracanica and Kosovo Electricity Corporation, KEK, representatives.
It was agreed that electricity will be turned on once 70 percent of Gracanica households pay the first installment of their 26 euros payment per household for electricity.
The two sides did not agree over the total number of registered households, which is an issue for Serbs because the electricity bill debts are outstanding since 1999.
Dragutin Jovanovic, a member of the Gracanica negotiation team claims Gracanica has 1,113 households while KEK’s distribution director in Pristina, Naim Sahiti, claims the total number of the households is 1,500.
The residents who began paying the bills had to sign a document, which confirms “the acceptance of the agreement’s provisions and conditions governing electrical energy services.”
Since the power was turned off two weeks ago, there is concern that health of children and those suffering from various illnesses could be put at risk, Jovanovic announced at a conference in Gracanica.
2009-07-03 16:36:22