Government falling behind on embellishment projects - Labour MP

Labour MP Charles Buhagiar said yesterday that several embellishment projects which were supposed to have been taken in hand this year had not been started.

Among them were works which were supposed to have been done on the promenades at Qajjenza, Xghajra, Xemxija and Marsaxlokk.

An embellishment project near the Gillieru restaurant in Bugibba had finally been concluded but he had his doubts on the quality of the structural works since cracks were already appearing.

A relatively small project had been carried out at St Thomas Bay. This was an area surrounded by a shanty town of illegal structures and he feared this work had benefitted the people who had built illegally.

Good work had been done in Paceville but should this work have taken nine months? Construction work could not continue during the peak tourist season.

Mr Buhagiar, who was speaking in parliament during the budget debate, said it was important not only that embellishment projects were carried out, but that maintenance was ongoing. Unfortunately, Bugibba, where both governments had invested heavily, was in a poorly maintained state.

Mr Buhagiar welcomed the fact that one of the first decisions taken by Minister Ninu Zammit was to ensure that more projects were carried out by the ministry's own workers. Under his predecessor, Francis Zammit Dimech, the workers practically received their salaries for not doing anything and equipment had been sold . Now the budget included funding for new equipment.

Mr Buhagiar said much embellishment was required in Valletta, which was in such a state of neglect that Din L-Art Helwa president Martin Scicluna had described it as "A city betrayed." Several organisations had come together to call for action. True the Upper Barrakka had been upgraded, but very little else was done. It was disgraceful that the government had not even found the money for the pavements of Valletta. And the lighting system at Republic Street had been out of order for six whole weeks.

Republic Street had been upgraded at a cost of some Lm1 million by the Labour government, yet the Valletta Rehabilitation Project had complained that too many permits were being issued for vehicles to drive through, and the street was not being regularly washed.

Why had the stairs at the bottom of Sta Lucija Street been removed, giving access to cars to drive up to the courts? The minister had said the stairs were removed to give easier access to Monti hawkers. This was simply unacceptable in a pedestrian zone.

What had become of the planned resurfacing of Palace square, the upgrading of Merchants' Street and St John Square? It had also been said that an underground parking would be built under Castille Place.

It appeared the government would go ahead with a drive to remove air conditioning units from Valletta façades, something with which he agreed.

There was also need for preventive maintenance of the bastions not just at Valletta but also at Cottonera and Mdina, parts of which were crumbling. True it could cost up to Lm50 million to restore the bastions. Malta could not afford so much, but that did not mean doing nothing. What had happened to plans by the University of Bologna to train Maltese workers on the maintenance of the bastions? The Lm40,000 budget allocation for the restoration of forts and fortifications was inadequate and did not reflect seriousness.

Mr Buhagiar also asked what had become of the Cottonera masterplan. It now appeared that this plan was limited to Vittoriosa. The plan needed to be issued before it was too late as current developments in Vittoriosa went against draft policies.

The Cottonera Rehabilitation Committee had decided to rebuild the old Vittoriosa clock tower. When would that happen? When would the works at St Helena Gate in Cospicua be continued? In Senglea a quay had collapsed and was a danger to the people of the area but no one knew who should repair it.

Before the EU referendum, the government had said Malta would be eligible for EU funds for the rehabilitation of historic buildings. Had the ministry applied for any of those funds since?

Turning to the Mdina rehabilitation project, Mr Buhagiar said that yet again, this project was taking far too long and it appeared that the paving works contract was being violated since the paving stones were not hand made. Furthermore, it appeared that costs had doubled. Could anybody explain how 1,000 permits had been issued for cars to enter Mdina?

The government needed to come up with a scheme and possibly set up a team to help maintain particularly important tourist areas where much would have been invested in upgrading works.

Mr Buhagiar also spoke on the maintenance of valleys to prevent flooding and said it was good that the government had sought and received some compensation from the EU, which funds were used to improve the waterways. Good work had been done but there needed to be an overall plan. When valleys were cleaned, the watercourse right up to the sea needed to be cleared. One also needed to ensure that water channelled to the valleys was not contaminated since there were galleries under some valleys, such as at Qormi. This underlined the need for a national storm water masterplan. And it was important that works in the valleys did not disturb the fauna unnecessarily.

Turning to the regulatory sector, Mr Buhagiar said the profitability of the construction industry had dropped drastically, mostly because of government induced costs such as the new tipping fees, the cost of fuel and added bureaucracy.

This government had stopped all education about the construction industry and it was very difficult to find workers for this sector. When would parliament discuss the new building regulations, which had been in the making for some seven years?

The Malta Standards Authority had set some standards but these were not being enforced. What had become of proposals by the Building Industry Consultative Council?

Concluding, Mr Buhagiar asked if the Malta Resources Authority had approved the water and power surcharge. Indeed, why was there a surcharge on water? This surcharge would mean an increased revenue of Lm1 million for the Water Services Corporation when its costs would rise by Lm5,000.

Labour MP Joe Mizzi hit out at the authority for not having yet produced a plan for the generation of power from alternative sources. The authority had been allocated Lm40,000 for an energy strategy plan, but this had not yet seen the light of day.

The authority should also have involved itself in monitoring tap water quality. He had already complained in parliament that water in some localities contained substances which could be dangerous, particularly for babies.

Mr Mizzi said it was shameful that the government was not involving itself in oil and gas exploration activities, when there was firm evidence when the last Gozo well was drilled, that both resources existed in Maltese territory.

Unfortunately the tests made on the Gozo exploratory well were not conducted properly. For some reason, possibly financial gains, a golden opportunity to strike oil was allowed to slip away and there were grounds for an inquiry into what had happened.

Even amateurs did not make such mistakes. Fresh efforts and initiatives were needed so that Malta would regain the confidence of oil exploration companies and finally strike oil.

The minister's reply will be carried on Monday.