About 10 kilometers from Gorazde, the village of Smolj is home to only ten inhabitants, hard-working people who are engaged in animal husbandry.
Among them are the two biggest farmers of small livestock, and the rest are mainly engaged in agriculture, although they want to show their place to others.
Beautiful landscapes illuminated by the sun, clean air, and the beauty of nature are the main advantages of this place, which is a natural spa, but the biggest disadvantage is road communication, which is in a catastrophic state.
We appeal that this road be put into normal operation as soon as possible. We live here as if we are cut off from the rest of the world. We have appealed several times because it is almost impossible to reach the village. Here, people live from their work, agriculture, and animal husbandry, how are we going to take it away and sell it? I am a demobilized fighter and I raise goats from which I make meat, milk, goat cheese, everything that can be produced. In addition, we produce fruits and vegetables, and we process juices and jams, but it’s all in vain when we don’t have road communication. It would mean a lot to us, especially in winter, the road is a disaster. I have to put five or six bags of grain on the car to get out,” says Senad Ramovic, a livestock farmer from Smolj.
Road in bad condition
Muharem Ramovic, who is also engaged in animal husbandry and agriculture, says that life in the village heavily depends on the road.
“The road is our lifeline, people ask me for a lamb, but once they come and see that they can’t get out of the middle of the road, or as soon as they puncture the sump on the car, they will never come here again. I am forced to sell at a lower price to larger retailers, and then the effort is not worth it. You can’t even drive a tractor without fear of tipping over, even SUVs sometimes can’t pass. For seven years, we haven’t even received a single BAM for this road, we don’t have time to walk around the city and look for help. We wouldn’t have time to work if we were in the city all the time,” Muharem stated.
The president of the council of the Local Community “Beric” Edin Tanjo has repeatedly asked the authorities to repair priority roads, including the Spahovici – Smolj road, but support has been lacking to this day. Certain promises were made, and the former residents who live outside the country want to be involved, so the locals hope that the disputed three-kilometer section will finally be repaired.
In addition to many problems upon arrival, what awaits the visitors of Smolj is real wealth. The nature is so beautiful you cannot stop looking at it. People originally from Smolj who live abroad today have launched an initiative to register an association whose focus will be promoting tourism, rural products, and a healthy lifestyle, Klix.ba reports.
Photo: Klix.ba
E.Dz.
