Legalis: The state cannot buy the health of Pljevlja residents with discounts

The NGO "Legalis" from Pljevlja said that the lives and health of the citizens of this city cannot be measured by percentages and discounts, assessing that the announced 50 percent reduction in active electricity bills represents a symbolic measure that does not solve the decades-old problem of pollution and endangered health of the population.

The statement from the non-governmental organization states that the discount applies exclusively to active energy, and that it is another attempt to relativize the long-standing ecological and health disaster in Pljevlja with cosmetic solutions, instead of essential and permanent measures.

The NGO "Legalis" points out that no amount of bill reduction can compensate for years of breathing polluted air, the increase in the number of illnesses, premature deaths, and the constant concern of parents for the health of their children.

They remind that Pljevlja has been producing electricity for the entire Montenegro for decades, while millions of euros are leaving that city, and citizens, as they state, are left with pollution, disease, and institutional silence.

They assess such a state's attitude towards Pljevlja as deeply unjust and unacceptable, emphasizing that citizens are not seeking alms, but the realization of basic human rights.

The NGO "Legalis" demands an urgent and permanent solution to the problem of air pollution, with the message that political marketing and symbolic measures cannot replace systemic solutions. One of their demands is the relocation of the headquarters of the Environmental Protection Agency to Pljevlja, deeming it hypocritical for the institution responsible for environmental protection to be physically distant from, as they point out, the largest ecological black spot in the country.

The statement further emphasizes that the right to clean air is a fundamental human right, guaranteed by the Constitution and international conventions, and that the citizens of Pljevlja must be enabled to fully exercise it. The organization says that Pljevlja is not a victim of a natural disaster, but a consequence of conscious state decisions, and that it is high time for the authorities to stop ignoring the alarming situation and take responsibility.

"Pljevlja is not seeking privileges, but justice, a dignified life and clean air," said the NGO "Legalis", with a clear stance that the health and lives of citizens must not be reduced to percentages and discounts.