Points of view

¤ Newspapers and other official media have long announced the European Union fund project for the reconstruction of the road from Mgarr to San Lawrenz. After some time the distance was shortened to include only the strech from Victoria to San Lawrenz. The reason behind this decision is not officially known. Gozitans are annoyed to hear Government media boasting about the high level of roads under construction in Malta while we are left in abeyance, reducing us to second class citizens. It is hoped that the project will be taken in hand soon.

¤ The Gozo Ministry upgraded Marina Road by widening the pavements. However, they were taken over by catering outlets, depriving citizens of enjoying a peaceful walk out of danger. People are obliged to walk on the road, facing the risk of being run over by passing vehicles. Moreover, the road has become a bottleneck, creating confusion.

¤ Mary Attard of Xaghra has finally been laid to rest. This winds up a three-and-a-half-year saga waiting for the inquest to conclude its inquiry and Attard being left in the cold room. Is it true that the Gozo hospital cold rooms are bursting at their seams with the inflow of foreign cadavers awaiting police investigation transferred from Malta due to a lack of space? And there is no back-up generator to take over every time the power supply is cut off.

¤ Another forensic year is fast approaching. Enough time has passed for the security personnel at the Gozo courts to be posted and yet the courts are left exposed to threats. No parties to the suits and visitors are checked before entering the court premises. Will history ever repeat itself?

¤ The police officers should be congratulated for the breakthrough in their investigation in connection with the murder of Gozitan lawyer Michael Grech. Full support is given for the continuing probe to close the case.

¤ Heritage Malta has transferred some of the Gozo museum artefacts to Malta. These include coins and the armoury. It is hoped that these will not stay in Malta for ever as with the statuettes found in the Gozo Stone Circle. Full support is given for the return of the Ta' Savina Islamic tombstone, which is exhibited at the National Museum in Valletta.

¤ The festa season in Gozo is over. People had a lot to see and admire. A friend of mine drew my attention to the decorative pedestals at It-Tokk, which occupied three-fourths of the pavement width. It becomes even more impossible for pedestrians to make use of the pavement when throngs of people stop to chat on the pavement. Cannot an arrangement be made so that pedestals do not create obstacles to pedestrians?

¤ Government venues for exhibitions remain open till 1 p.m. following government departments' summer closing time. These closing hours hinder locals and tourists from visiting the exhibits, and should be extended to 4 p.m.

¤ The health service between the two islands calls for some improvement. Patients should have their privacy respected and the sides of the health service vehicles should be covered by opaque screens. Furthermore, patients should be transported to and from Malta in air-conditioned ambulances, especially in summer.

¤ When driving out of Xaghra, motorists need to have a firm grip on the steering wheel because of the drop in the road surface that is hazardous as vehicles are dangerously pulled towards the unstable retaining wall. The entire outer wall that runs along the winding road of Tal-Qacca has not been finished yet. The road surface has cracked and motorists are forced to drive on the wrong side of the road to avoid losing control of the vehicle.

¤ MEPA is giving the impression that it is undergoing a metamorphosis. Policies are constantly being changed and the citizen is bereft of those policies applicable to sensitive locations in Gozo. A case in point is the demolition of the Duke of Edinburgh Hotel in Victoria. The demolition and reconstruction of the site has scarred the fine architectural lines of Republic Street. It is useless crying over spilt milk but MEPA should have demanded the preservation of the façade and the rooms lying behind it, while allowing the development of the remaining building to take place. This was done with buildings in Balluta, Floriana and other sites in Malta.

¤ It is an offence to walk around indecently dressed in public places. Yet it is a common to see an innumerable amount of men who walk bare-chested and ladies in skimpy bikini tops in towns and villages, even Victoria. Can't the police take note of this?

¤ Here is a suggestion for the steering committee of the Dwejra rehabilitation project. It would be safe and wise if boat owners rowed their craft in the inland sea and the tunnel. Swimmers will enjoy a safer and cleaner environment, free of leaking fuel. Another proposal is to not allow seacraft from entering the area behind the Fungus Rock by installing a line of buoys along the two entrances flanking the rock. Such boats let drainage and other substances into the sea, polluting the area and making it unfit for swimming.

¤ The Circolo Gozitano launched its monthly paper The Edge, which is in the hands of an editorial board that can promote objective reasoning and constructive views. Hopefully, this paper will fill the existing void of objective journalism, which is strongly needed in Gozo. Congratulations on the initiative!

¤ The annual agricultural show that takes place on the first day of the Santa Marija feast at Rundle Gardens, Victoria, has been organised for over a century. The show has a long tradition and was referred to as 'Il-Wirja ta' Santa Marija'. However, during the past two years, the Gozitan Society for Agriculture, Industry and Culture within the Ministry of Gozo decided to drop this associative name and change it to Il-Wirja ta' Biedja u Snajja. Such a change will affect the character of the show.

¤ The recent publication of the declaration by Xaghra council about the closure of the local police station may be applied to other villages as well. This may be confirmed by the increasing complaints lodged at the Victoria station by residents who find their police stations closed for days. There are around 40 Gozitan police officers on duty in Malta. Some of these may alleviate the shortage if transferred to Gozo.

¤ It is rumoured that a number of Gozitan teachers will be transferred to schools in Malta because of shortages in some academic subjects. The decision is understandable but hopefully this will not be detrimental to students in Gozo.

¤ The removal of the skips from the parking area at the Marsalforn promenade was wrong. As a result, residents are putting their garbage bags along the pavement, which is proving to be an eyesore and is causing unpleasant smells.

¤ The emission alert number (5061-1899) should also be extended to cases of vehicles with defective silencers, which are a nuisance to the public. The noise these vehicles make, including motorcycles, are unbearable and create noise pollution. It is also important that the identity of the person making the report is protected.