Contractor to face action over uprooted olive trees

Nature Trust (Malta), the environmental NGO, has condemned the uprooting of olive and carob trees during works at Xemxija.

It also deplored the insensitivity of contractors and what it said was the inability of the Malta Environment and Planning Authority to enforce its own notices.

But asked to comment, Mepa said legal action will be taken against the offender.

Nature Trust said several olive trees were bulldozed even though enforcement notices were issued by Mepa officers after the reports by Nature Trust.

This event comes shortly after an episode reported by Nature Trust in which over 20 carob trees were bulldozed during road works near Mosta Technopark.

The NGO has urged the government to include conditions on the safeguarding of the environment in tender documents for road works.

Mepa said a site inspection was carried out on September 9 which revealed that a number of olive trees protected by the Trees and Woodlands (Protection) Regulations 2001 had been uprooted.

Further investigations revealed that the responsible person was not in possession of a permit to uproot trees as required under the regulations.

Mepa said that considering that the contractor responsible for such works was also allegedly involved in threatening environment inspectors on duty, legal action had been instituted by the Commissioner of Police on these grounds.

Another inspection was carried out by nature protection unit inspectors on Wednesday when it was established that engineering works had continued. These works have brought about further damage to another two protected olive trees on site.

Wednesday's case would also be referred to the Commissioner of Police for further legal action, Mepa said. It added that it was doing its utmost to stop such damage to the environment but unfortunately there were still individuals who felt they could destroy the environmental heritage.