On the Dot...

Water from a burst pipe in Old Bakery Street in Valletta was allowed to go to waste for quite a long time on Tuesday. This is a great shame, especially if the delay in the repair of the pipe was due to the industrial action being taken at the Water Services Corporation.

Brown Study

The young male warden whose beat includes the Gzira Gardens does a great job. He makes it a point of chatting to the youngsters who congregate there whenever they appear to be getting particularly boisterous, and also chats to visitors, before continuing on his rounds.

Blank Spaces

In Sir Ugo Mifsud Street, Ta' Xbiex, opposite the Marina Court Clinic and the St Jude Medical Centre, looms a great unfinished building. What would apparently have become the entrance to the basement has been haphazardly covered with a grating and bits of wood, leaving gaping spaces between these and the pavement. It will only take a moment's inattention for a terrible accident to happen.

Paper Napkins

The huge plot on the Gzira side of the same street urgently needs attention too. The skip placed in front of it clearly does not meet the needs of the community that makes use of it. Apart from the fact that the skip is usually overflowing by collection time, several garbage bags are thrown into the plot, which is not walled in. Since these are not collected regularly, a terrible stench permeates the air, especially during this type of weather.

Pole Vault

Near the end of Mikiel Anton Vassalli Street in Msida, by the side of the Labour Party Club, is a very dangerous electricity pylon. The cover of the control box has worked loose, and the wires are all dangling down in one big tangle. Something really should be done about this, before further damage is caused.

Down Stairs

A flight of steps leads down from Sir Luigi Preziosi Street to Santa Marija Street in Bugibba. At the bottom of the stairway a smelly green sludge indicates a drainage overflow. Despite the "No Littering" sign, food is put out for all the stray cats, the number of which is ever on the increase, in the area. The landing is usually littered with odd bits of rubbish, and the occasional broken bottle too.

Dust Bins

Every so often, news bulletins regale us with facts such as how five mammoth trucks of garbage were collected from particular heritage sites. Are we supposed to be pleased, amazed, disgusted or shocked at such happenings? Would it not be better to make sure that policemen or wardens make surprise visits to such places, perhaps issuing hefty fines as a deterrent to others, for defiling the environment? Would it not be better to have regular clean-ups?

Wall To Wall

Sliema local council has finally seen it fit to indicate that the area occupied by what is left of the Chalet is dangerous, and that there ought to be no trespassing. However, sunbathers and fun-seekers regularly sunbathe and lounge about on the remains of the roof.

Victory Sigh

Every weekend, without fail, the harmony normally present in the area around the Victory Band Club in Naxxar is rudely broken because of the disco parties organised there. The vibrations caused by the loud music may be felt from several streets away. This is unfair to those who look forward to the weekend as the time during which to unwind in peace and quiet.

On the high side

A hawker in Santa Maria Bay, Comino, charged a young woman Lm1.20 for a large bottle of soft drink. When she complained, he said his costings showed that it cost him 60 cents to sell the drink in Comino and to keep it cold. Still, the woman thought Lm1.20 was a bit too high. Guess what? After her protests, she was given a drink for free!

Stuck in lift

Service at the Passport Office has won all-round praise for efficiency. Not that provided by its lift, though. Last Wednesday three elderly persons were stuck in it for about 20 minutes, and none of the employees to whom they shouted for help seemed able to tackle the situation. With the suffocating heat and the exasperation, it is no wonder that these persons started to panic, until at last - by luck, it seems - they somehow reached the basement, where they managed to prise open the doors.

Surely, every government department should have staff prepared to tackle lift emergencies.