Desolation covered Radan – more and more empty houses, few locals have no one to knock on the door

The devastation was covered by Radan. Gates locked on all sides, abandoned houses and backyards. The human voice has become a real rarity here. There are only fifteen inhabitants in Ivanje, old and alone. If it weren’t for Zorica Arsić, there would be no one to knock on their door.

Verica Draganović was 83 years old and was tied to her bed by illness. Fortunately, the son returned from Nis to take care of her. A former nurse often visits Radan’s blood pressure monitor and medication.

“It means a lot to me. Measure the pressure, measure the sugar,” says Verica.

Zvonko Draganović, Verica’s son, says that they do not even have basic living conditions.

“We do not have organized intercity traffic, we do not have an ambulance , there is often a lack of electricity “, Zvonko points out and adds that it is even harder when a person is alone, because it is unbearable for life.

That is why Milan Ratković and his wife leave their grandfather before the first snow . He says they don’t have Zorica’s courage.

“There are no shops, I have to go to Bojnik to the market on Tuesdays, to Lebane to the market on Fridays. Bojnik is 19 kilometers away, Lebane is 25 It means that I have to constantly get bread in the freezer and keep everything else, “says Milan Ratković.

Completely alone in the mountains for 20 years. Surrounded by the silence of everyone welcomes and entertains, and cares for a small number of neighbors. However, they are the closest four kilometers from it.

“Oh, winter is very hard for me, winter is on my heart, I’m a little scared. It will be impassable sometimes, winters are here cold and long and it is not easy. Nobody cares about these mountain villages, we have a problem with electricity. EPS has not invested in these parts for years, we have been without electricity for almost a month this winter “, points out Zorica Arsić.

Investments are announced, but in road infrastructure. Connecting Caricino grad and Prolom Banja could be a chance to revive these villages.

“The announcements were at the beginning that it would be with the construction of the highway from Nis through Prokuplje to Pristina and I expect that this will happen in parallel with the beginning of those works “, says Nebojsa Nenadovic, the President of the Municipality of Bojnik.

Villages on both sides of Radan share the same fate. It is the last hour for the picture to change.