The Regional Waste Company "Pastrimi" has reacted to the statements of municipal officials about waste.

In a media release, "Pastrimi" accused the municipality of lies, saying that it is unacceptable and shameful that the Municipality of Pristina is holding "hostage" two waste collection trucks, not putting them into operation for the city.

"The suspicions are well-founded: this is being done to later hand over to a private company, which is expected to operate with them. This is a flagrant abuse of power for private interests, which clearly shows the background of Mayor Rama's decisions. Your statement, Mr. Rama, where you warn of 'immediate and severe measures against the company 'Pastrimi' due to their inexcusable failure and deliberate sabotage', is an open attempt to manipulate public opinion and create an artificial crisis. We remind you that the company 'Pastrimi' is a public enterprise that responds to the Municipal Assembly and not to the wishes of an individual. Prishtina "It is not private property, and you cannot treat it as such," the company's response states.

As for the allegations of damage to six trucks, the company said this is not true.

"In the presence of various media cameras, we have tested them and they did not turn on and you, the Municipality, are witnesses to this. We have written you an official email from the beginning, informing you about the technical problems of the trucks, because it seems that they were not tested when you bought them and there have been such problems from the beginning, some problems in the electronic system of the compactor and that until now, you have not taken any action when it is known that the trucks are the property of the Municipality and the contracting and warranty conditions are connected by you. Instead of helping to solve this problem, you have chosen to lie to the media by accusing us of damaging the trucks. This is shameful," it continues.

According to the company "Pastrimi", today after the press conference, the municipality returned the official email saying that the distribution of containers could begin today.

"This only happened after journalists asked you at the conference why you are not distributing the containers. It is no longer a secret that you have decided at all costs that waste management be given to a private company and that "Pastrimi" be completely eliminated. This means that over 900 workers will be left without jobs, but this does not seem to be a problem for you. The 16 million euro fund is very considerable and, unfortunately, is being treated more as an opportunity to repay other debts than as an investment in better services for citizens," the reaction states.

Despite these lockdown efforts, the KRM "Pastrimi" has said they are working to keep the city clean.

"We ask citizens to notify us of any cases where waste has not been collected, and we will continue to perform our duty. Citizens are our priority and they should not be affected by this artificial crisis. It is our obligation to keep the city clean, together with the citizens. The municipality's efforts to block everything are unacceptable, but citizens should not be victims of this political and personal game of the Mayor. They deserve a clean and functional city, and we will do everything to ensure that this service does not stop, despite the obstacles created by the current government," the reaction concludes.

At a press conference held today, the Director of Public Services, Bekim Brestovci, said that there is confirmed information that the "Pastrimi" company has damaged the trucks, making them non-functional and unusable. Therefore, he said that they are now waiting for an intervention from the manufacturer of these trucks to recode them.

The Municipality of Pristina, ten days after declaring a state of emergency for waste in the capital, continues to blame the regional waste company "Pastrimi", saying that the situation has deteriorated significantly.

https://kosovapress.com/cenimit-i-shendetit-publik-nga-mbeturinat-komuna-paralajmeron-masa-ndaj-pastrimit