Winter is knocking/ Pensioners in Korçë cannot afford the price of wood: We spend the period with difficulty

2023-11-18 11:17:00, Aktualitet CNA

Winter is knocking/ Pensioners in Korçë cannot afford the price of

Pensioners in Korça

Temperatures have dropped significantly this morning in the Korça region, while the first rains have also begun in the mountainous areas with an altitude of over 1000 meters.

Now that we are officially in the winter season, firewood remains a problem for the residents of Korça. And this, mainly for pensioners who cannot afford the increase in the price of wood, which reaches up to 70 thousand old lek per meter.

City News Albania has interviewed some pensioners in a neighborhood of the city, who, even through irony, have shown the situation with firewood and heating in their apartments.

"The price of wood has reached 65,000 old lek. I am a pensioner. This is not cold, we have lived in -30 degrees. We are the generation that has gone through this. The merchants who do this work must collect it, it it's state property, they sell it and take the money," said one of the pensioners.

"I took 3 meters of wood. I have a small sobalka and I can't take more. It cost me 100,000 lek. We can't do it with an air conditioner. We also cook on the stove, we also make a pie, and petanik noodles let's face it, because we are old. I don't even get 200 thousand lek pension. We have a worse time," said another.

There is also a part of pensioners who have "given up" heating with firewood, and have preferred to use air conditioners, with the reasoning that they save a little more from their small income.

"I installed an air conditioner and I don't use wood. Wood is expensive and we can't take into account that we are pensioners. Better with electricity, now it's cold and I believe we will do better with an air conditioner," said another pensioner.

"I made a sheet metal cabinet and I take up to 5 cubes of wood. I paid almost 135,000. I spend 1 month with them. The cabinet I made used to take 3 cubes. Now I fill it with 5. There are no controls here, they steal and millet "I'm sorry, I learned. If the state wants it, it will collect the belts," said another.

According to the data, a few years ago, the price of one cubic meter varied from 30-35 thousand old lek for beech, while for oak from 40-45 thousand old lek. This year, the increase has been significant, almost 2 times the old prices, which has led to difficulties in purchasing on the part of pensioners. /CNA