The Bankers Petroleum company refused to implement the government decision for compensating the residents with 900,000 USD during their oil extraction operations.
The Zharreza residents have lived in insecurity since 2008, due to the almost daily tremors that have damaged their homes.
The residents accused Bankers Petroleum and their practice of injecting technological water in the ground, but Bankers have never admitted that they are the cause.
The protest peaked in February, with a two-week –long hunger strike, while the country was undergoing a political crisis with the opposition inside a protest tent.
The residents marched to Tirana and gathered in front of the Ministry of Energy, raising public awareness through a protest they didn’t want to be politicized.
The protest ended only after the government promised to compensate the damage of their homes with 100%. The debate moved to Parliament, where Ben Blushi accused the government of defending the company.
However, Bankers refuses to pay their part today. They say through an official response that they have agreed with the Ministry of Energy to hire an independent expert who will determine the cause of the land tremors in Zharreza.
The company says that the expert hired by the government has not issued a report, and the company cannot pay for it. 60 homes in the village were declared unlivable.
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