Focus on Hamrun

Hamrun, a commercial centre just minutes away from Malta's capital Valletta and easily reached as it boasts of a main traffic artery, has been in focus for a number of years and for numerous reasons.

It has been a popular venue for mass manifestations mainly because of its spacious principal avenue and of its being within easy reach especially by public transport.

For many a year it was synonymous with festive occasions and its own annual festival in honour of St Gaetan is an event looked forward to by many Maltese.

The Hamrun Spartans football club has always been considered to be one of the main popular football clubs enjoying a lot of support when the team faced other clubs at Ta' Qali.

Quite a number of noted Maltese personalities also hail from Hamrun or have been related to this city.

Hamrun is slightly over 100 years old and from just a few hamlets it has grown into a big highly inhabited suburb. Homes, shops, workshops, industrial outlets are strewn all over the place.

But notwithstanding all this progress a lot still has to be done to augment the town's progressive development. When back in 1994 the first local council was elected in Hamrun, it was headed by a Nationalist Party mayor who worked hand in hand with the then elected so-called independent members and a programme had been designed for Hamrun's development. Works undertaken through this plan saw an enhancement in several areas. This pace was kept up by the following council with a Nationalist Party majority.

It was a pity that the outgoing council with a Labour majority did not keep up the pace. Today in Hamrun we are faced with a situation where it is evident that a lot still needs to be done to spruce up the place again and to put it back on track. For example, priority should be given to the pavement in St Joseph High Road (aka High Street), Hamrun's main thoroughfare. Attention should be given to better the parking arrangements in Hamrun. A parking lot has become a must.

High Street can also be embellished in order to allow shoppers to be able to find a bench where to have a rest, surrounded by plants or flower pots. This was already being planned for by the first council but development was stopped for a number of reasons.

Time is now ripe to kick start the project. High Street and other areas should be embellished.

A future plan for Hamrun should include the town's scarce but valuable historical spots. A number of street corner statues are also in need of restoration. Houses, old palaces and farmhouses at the Tas-Samra area should be cared for.

Youths in Hamrun need a place where to congregate and attend programmes designed especially for them. A playing field for children is also required. Likewise, the aging population cannot be overlooked.

There now exists the phenomenon of young people leaving Hamrun to seek abode elsewhere. Many aging people are being left alone in big houses and many have to cater for themselves. This is an area where the new council has to work very actively.

The council can also initiate programmes to help single and working mothers cope with their everyday life.

Cultural and historical programmes must be initiated to raise awareness about the identity of the people of Hamrun.

Perhaps this is too wide a programme I am proposing but it is based on personal observations and suggestions made to me by the locals I am coming in contact with during my home visits.

This makes one not only sensitive to the needs of others but also gives one the impetus to work harder towards the development and progress of Hamrun.

Mr Valletta is a Nationalist Party candidate for the local council elections in Hamrun.