The majority decision of deputies of the Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS) of the Parliamentary Committee on Health, Labour and Welfare in order that parliamentary body not to discuss the impact of planned investment of the Second Block of the Thermal Power Plant Pljevlja on the health, is at least shameful, and is another confirmation that the current authority either does not have answers to key questions about the project or continues to hide them from the citizens of Montenegro.
Non-governmental organization MANS and Green Home last week officially requested from the Committee on Health, Labor and Welfare to schedule a control hearing of the Minister of Health Budimir Segrt and other Government officials in charge of citizens health, in order to discuss the impact of new Power Plant in relation to disease and premature death of citizens of Pljevlja, which is one of the most polluted city in Europe.
Control hearing was an opportunity to representatives of the Government to explain the extend of health and related social costs, which reputable international organization Greenpeace estimated them at 2.5 billion euros for 40 years of the operation of the new block, while at the same period are expected 622 premature deaths.
However, instead of scheduling a session of the Committee at which to the local public would be presented data on the existing degree of illness, especially from the latest official data on the number of patients in 2001 and the rate of mortality in Pljevlja, and also to what extend the mortality rate would be increased due to the construction of another Thermal Power Plant, three members of the Parliament of DPS Zoran Jelic, Maida Beslic and Jasmin Sutovic were restrained, while the fourth DPS deputy Halil Dukovic was against scheduling of control hearing.
In this way, the members of the Parliament of the ruling party demonstrated the ultimate irresponsibility for all current and future generations from Pljevlja and in that sense is simply incomprehensible that two doctors Jasmin Sutovic i Halil Dukovic did not support the initiative, which is not only unethical in relation to the profession they perform, but it also shows that they not even care for the health of the citizens of Pljevlja, who for years suffer from the most difficult cancer and respiratory diseases.
Also, it is particularly striking that restrained was and Maida Beslic, originally from Pljevlja and for years directly exposed to the negative impact of the existing Thermal Power Plant. Therefore, from Beslic it was the most to expect to support the initiative concerning her citizens, but apparently she decided to continue to express attitude of the marionette towards energy lobbies.
Despite the shameful withdrawal of DPS deputies and their “harsh” relation toward this important issue, non-governmental organizations MANS and Green Home will continue to present to domestic also to international public the detrimental effects on the health and lives of citizens announced investment of the Second Block of the Thermal Power Plant in Pljevlja.
Government of Montenegro building of a new Thermal Power Plant represents as finished issue, despite the fact that the developed countries of Europe, mainly because of climate changes, abandon the production of electricity from Thermal Power Plants as a dirty energy source and are turning to renewable sources of energy.
MANS and Green Home
