Decades of neglect, negligence, environmental problems and continuous economic collapse during the former regime led to a drastic drop in the number of inhabitants in Pljevlja between the two censuses.
This was said by the deputy of Democratic Montenegro, Nikola Rovčanin, commenting yesterday on the official data of the census held at the end of last year.
“Pljevlja had over 11,000 employees in the early nineties, predominantly in economic giants that were immediately destroyed or privatized and then closed, in such a way that individuals acquired enormous wealth. As a consequence of that process, more than 5,000 workers lost their jobs and were forced to leave their city in search of existence. When it comes to ecology, the former regime failed in 40 years to realize the heating project, which was only started in 2021, instead of being completed in 1985, so Pljevlja has been positioned at the top of the list of the most polluted cities in Europe for decades,” Rovčanin said.
The decade-long absence of Pljevlje from the list of priority infrastructure projects in Pljevlje is an additional reason for large population migrations.
“For decades, absent from the list of priority infrastructural state projects and left to fend for themselves, Pljevlja, despite its huge share in the gross national product, was the last in line and treated like that, until August 30, 2020. Will the launched projects, which should have been completed 30 years ago, produce results? I am convinced that they will, if, in addition, all subsequent state budgets direct triple the funds for Pljevlja. Our city has reached the red line and strong support is needed. This kind of demographic situation cannot be corrected in a year or two, but we can first stop the downward trajectory and move the wheel forward with joint efforts”, said Rovčanin.
Commenting on the rest of the census data, Rovčanin stated that, as he claims, the times of discrimination based on nationality, language and religion have been defeated and are “behind us”.
“Equal access to rights for every citizen regardless of their nationality and language. The Serbian language has its foundation in the historical being of Montenegro and Pljevlja, culture, tradition, as well as in the legal system, that is why in today’s structure it is the most represented mother tongue spoken by the majority of citizens. All stated numbers and percentages of the census should be accepted as reality and respected. The times of discrimination have passed,” concluded Rovčanin.
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Source: www.vijesti.me
