Definite 'no' to trenching works on new roads

The Malta Transport Authority (ADT) insisted yesterday it would not accede to any requests to carry out trenching works on newly reconstructed roads unless there was no other alternative.

The ADT was referring to a statement by Enemalta on last Saturday's power cut. It was reacting to the corporation's comment that the authority had not allowed it to repair a fault that developed in the Telgha t'Alla w Ommu, in Naxxar because the road in question had recently been resurfaced.

Enemalta said the ADT had failed to provide a culvert in which an alternative cable could go through as was agreed before the fault occurred.

But the ADT maintained that its road engineers had come up with a plausible alternative, which was not accepted by the service provider.

The ADT said a request was made by Enemalta on January 19 to carry out emergency trenching works on the newly constructed Telgha t'Alla w Ommu. The authority held an on-site meeting with one of Enemalta's engineers, assigned to the Mosta area, to establish a remedial course of action. At the time of the meeting, the Naxxar/Mosta area was being supplied with electricity from three other sources, it said.

Bearing in mind the urgency of the matter and to avoid inconveniencing the public further, ADT road engineers proposed the creation of a bypass to the existing faulty cable through the green area on the side of the road but Enemalta felt the measure was too costly.

It opted not to carry out works as proposed by the ADT but to rely on the three sources supplying the area in question, the authority said.

Last Saturday, a fault developed in one of the three remaining sources, leaving only two sources to supply the area. An overload of the remaining two sources led to the power cut in certain areas of Naxxar and Mosta.

Enemalta could have avoided the inconvenience to the residents of Naxxar and Mosta had it by-passed the faulty cable, the ADT insisted.