Leposavic: Three villages cut off from the world due to a dug-up road; elderly residents facing significant problems

Villages in the Municipality of Leposavic have been facing significant problems since the beginning of October when the Kosovo Police dug up local roads and placed concrete barriers on them. Three villages are particularly affected - Qirkoviq, Banovice, and Isevo, which have been completely cut off from communication after this action.

These villages are inhabited mostly by elderly residents who are now concerned about how to reach medical care. They are separated from the nearest asphalt road by a one-kilometer stretch of road that has been dug up at two places, creating ditches nearly three meters deep.

The village closest to the asphalt road is Qirkoviq, whose residents now have to travel over seven kilometers on a very poor dirt road that is difficult to traverse without off-road vehicles.

Vukasin Cirkovic from that village believes it's crucial to restore the road to its original condition, emphasizing that mostly elderly people live in the village.

"Our suggestion would be to return the road to its original state, allowing these people to function normally. The people who still live here are largely elderly. The younger generation goes to work and returns under these very difficult conditions. The elderly are in the most challenging situation, and if the road were to function again, it would ease the lives of all the residents," Cirkovic said.

He added that the residents were currently finding ways to carry out their daily tasks.

"They walk a certain number of kilometers or a kilometer, depending on where they are, and then they connect to the main road and continue to the asphalt," Cirkovic explained.

Cirkovic said it was easy to make quick decisions without thinking about the consequences that can be difficult to rectify later.

"Knowing the people from these villages that gravitate toward this crossing, no one engages in illegal activities. That can certainly be confirmed, checked, and verified. So, if that's the case, we don't see any reason to create disruptions and make quick decisions. Quick decisions can be made, but it's hard to return to the original state afterward. Clearly, there was no consideration for what would happen after such a decision," Cirkovic stated.

Ivanka Djuricic from the remotest village of Isevo says they now need to travel twice the distance to reach the asphalt road.

"That road was our closest route to go to the doctor, to the store, for everything. Now, we are cut off from the world. I'm not sure about the exact number of kilometers, maybe six or seven from Isevo to Vucja Rupa, where the road was blocked. They slightly improved the road for us a month ago. Before that, we couldn't go anywhere from home because the water had washed away and flooded everything. We couldn't approach anywhere; we were living and dying like that. We didn't have bread. If you had something, you had it, and you had to endure," Djuricic said.

She said that it was most challenging for the elderly, especially when they got sick, and asked how long it would take them to reach a doctor.

"It's a problem for all the residents to reach the doctor and even to go to the store because the road to Jarinja is terrible, it's a catastrophe, very far. We have to endure and make do," Djuricic added.

The gravel road in the village of Qirkoviq was dug up on October 4th in two places. The road connecting Donje Jarinje and the village of Mura was also blocked, making it impossible for people to access their woods and property.

To reach the village of Qirkoviq, you can come from the direction of Leposavic through Donje Jarinje, passing through Bistrica and the village of Glisice using a very poor gravel road. The village also has access from the direction of Raska and Rudnica leading to Kopaonik, known as Vucja Rupa, where the gravel road is dug up, leaving no entry or exit.