The Zebbug local council has called on the government to make good the "substantial" damage caused to 20 of the locality's streets during the construction of the new arterial roads.
A report commissioned by the council and drawn up by independent architects had originally put the estimated cost to repair the damage at a staggering Lm939,000. This was eventually revised downwards to Lm744,000.
The Roads Ministry hit back at once, saying the figures cited by the council were an exaggeration.
Residents and the Labour councillors called a news conference to express their frustration yesterday, ironically an hour before Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi and Roads Minister Jesmond Mugliett inaugurated 16 kilometres of roads financed by the Italian protocol.
Zebbug was used as a major traffic thoroughfare for several weeks pending major works on the new arterial roads. This meant construction vehicles and additional traffic went through the narrow roads of the heavily populated town.
"It was bad enough not being consulted about the works and detours, the dust and the inconvenience, but it's even worse not being compensated for all the roads that have been damaged," mayor Paula Vella Sciriha told journalists.
The council handed to the media a first report which said that Lm939,000 were required to resurface the roads in the locality. According to the architects' report, Vjal il-Helsien sustained the biggest damage, picking up a bill of Lm124,491. Triq Mikiel Ang Sapiano was allegedly damaged to the tune of Lm111,955. The report was drawn up by MED Design Associates and the architect in charge was Charles Buhagiar, former Public Works Minister in the 1996 - 1998 Labour government and a Labour member of Parliament.
The Malta Transport Authority (ADT) subsequently asked for a revised estimate of the works which the council did - whittling down the figure to Lm744,000. A second report showing this figure was also circulated among the media.
The ADT recently informed the council it would be allocating Lm30,000 to compensate for the damage, the mayor said.
Dr Vella Sciriha criticised Mr Mugliett for cancelling a meeting with the local council at the eleventh hour earlier in the summer. The meeting, she explained, was meant to have discussed the matter.
The mayor also dwelt on the losses endured by the commercial outlets along Mdina Road for the past six months. She said the council was prepared to move from a mere protest to other action should the protests fall upon deaf ears.
A spokesman for the Roads Ministry told The Times the government was prepared to allocate Lm30,000 to repair the roads which were used as diversions.
"However, the ministry is prepared to investigate further claims if it transpires that the damages were indirectly caused by the works," he added.
Labour MP Gavin Gulia said it was shameful that the Nationalist councillors had opted out of yesterday's protests, showing that they were putting their partisan interests before the residents'.
A number of residents held placards during the protest, one of which said: "Per costruire una strada ne rovinate venti" (To construct one road you have ruined 20) - evidently addressed to the Italian contractors who were commissioned to carry out the works.