Near Vilnius, an unbelievable story: We are tossed around like a hot potato

Residents living in the "Gegužinė" settlement, a community near Vilnius, Lithuania, are caught in a bureaucratic maze over the maintenance of their local roads. For years, they have sought answers and solutions, but instead, they feel like a "hot potato" being tossed between institutions.

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For years we have been looking for an answer, but all the institutions we turn to provide different answers and we no longer know how to solve this problem.

The core of the problem lies in the liquidation of the "Gegužinė" gardening association in 2014. Following this, responsibility for the roads within the former association's territory was not clearly transferred. "All the problems started when the gardening association was liquidated – only later did we find out that some assets were not transferred, specifically, no one took over the roads here," explained Jekaterina, a resident.

Despite numerous requests and appeals to the Vilnius District Municipality and the National Land Service, a clear resolution remains elusive. The municipality partially acknowledged the issue by adding three of the seven requested streets to its list of maintained roads. However, four other roads were deemed ineligible because they reportedly end in cul-de-sacs without adequate turning space, a criterion set by environmental regulations. This partial solution leaves many residents still struggling with unaddressed road infrastructure.

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All the problems started when the gardening association was liquidated – only later did we find out that some assets were not transferred, specifically, no one took over the roads here.

The situation has left the community frustrated, feeling ignored by the authorities. "The Vilnius district is still little known even to Lithuanians themselves, most local residents still think they live in the capital, but sometimes they ask themselves why it's beautiful there, but not here," Jekaterina commented on the perceived neglect. The residents are now grappling with the complex administrative system, questioning who is responsible for their roads and, by extension, their problems.

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Our settlement is like one big village, and it's always like that in a village – everyone knows everything here, and now we constantly discuss the bureaucratic apparatus we encountered when we came to the district municipality asking for help to ensure the only road to our homes.