On the dot

Ending all subsidies on water and electricity bills will mean a steep rise in the expenses incurred by most families. It is high time that the possibilities for obtaining energy from alternative sources, such as wind turbines and solar energy, on a national scale, as well as the fruition of plans to connect to the mainland continent grid are fantailed into the infrastructure once and for all.

Monitored

There are hundreds of students who had not been old enough to benefit from and others who could not have afforded the special offer in respect to first-time internet connections when it was given the first time around. Perhaps it is time for a second round of offers to obtain - if the queues are shorter, so much the better.

Sales

Now that the dust has almost settled at the new Monti site in Valletta, it is high time that the people who man the stalls are asked some pertinent questions. Such as whether they feel better in their present location? How many of them have taken advantage of the golden handshake offered to them to quit? And, most importantly, whether sales have gone up, down, or remained constant since their enforced migration?

Phoenix

In February of this year, the government promised it would see to the re-building of the Opera House. One had been hoping that the foundation stone would have been laid as a Christmas present to the nation. By the rate things are going, this does not seem likely to happen, at least in this decade.

Lights

Households had been promised energy-saving light bulbs to offset the rise in fuel prices. Will these be in people's possession before the removal of the subsidy so that, at least, the promise that was made could be executed to offset some of the expenses?

Topped

Mobile telephony companies try to outdo themselves with similar but different offers aimed at undercutting the competition. What most clients would appreciate, however, would be a no-frills deal, wherein one buys a €10 card and gets that much usage from it. The company that travels down this road, making good for the taxes that are removed from each card as soon as it is keyed into the apparatus, will surely gain Brownie points galore.

Online

Online banking and the purchase of certificates from the Public Registry are now par for the course. One hopes that, soon, one would be able to pay for other services, such as Matsec examinations, online. This would eliminate unnecessary queuing and the handling of sums of money.

Branded

When it was an auberge, it stood proud. The rot started much later, when it housed the Water Works Department and the General Post Office. These days, the building housing of the Malta Tourism Authority is a sorry sight. This is ironic, since it is supposed to "Brand Malta", by and large.

Lost

Once upon a time, there was published a list of all the streets that were going to be re-surfaced or at least patched properly by the end of the year. Someone appears to have mislaid this list... Moreover, the recent rains have made potholes in both sets of streets deeper and wider by washing away aggregate that had worked loose with the vibrations of cars using the streets despite their state because there was no alternative.

Blocked

Have arrangements for the collection of storm water been finalised? Even if they have, the fact that many drains and gutters are clogged up with silt and debris means that this exercise cannot be carried out to the full. Why is it that this comment appears in this column, year after year, without anything being done about the situation in the meantime?

Delayed

Why is there an interval of over six months between the filing of a claim for funeral refunds and the actual receipt of the cheque by the relatives of the deceased? And why should it take two months to obtain a VAT registration number, even if one is exempt from paying it?

Flowery

The absolute majority of national monuments are surrounded with flowers and/or greenery. What about the beautiful Independence Monument outside the Mall Gardens in Floriana? It deserves a few big flower pots like those embellishing the wide pavements in Ġlormu Cassar Avenue, Valletta.

Outdoors

The central authorities have decided to put a stop to illegal outside furniture on pavements, which are public property, in front of catering establishments in Sliema, Marsaxlokk, and Marsascala. What about other areas, for example Floriana, where, in some cases, streets are now not only being used by motorists but also by those who would like to drink a bottle of beer, a cappuccino, an espresso or a small pot of tea with sandwiches and pastizzi?

Payments

A most respected magistrate has recently rebuked legal aid lawyers who fail to appear in court to defend people who cannot afford to pay a lawyer. Why do various lawyers who form part of the system not turn up in court to assist clients? Could one of the reasons be that the Justice Ministry procrastinates too much in paying them for their defence dues? Present-day mentality and even past does not accept the excuse that the Finance Ministry takes a long time to pay bills.