Charles Micallef, Qawra
Paying lip service to road maintenance
Infrastrucutre Minister Austin Gatt delivered a strong warning in Parliament to road maintenance contractors and to those supervising their works, saying he would take what he called "drastic action" as from next month if the citizen is not respected and put at the forefront of their actions.
I am sure that the public will never understand why the minister or his predecessors had to wait till "next month" to take this "drastic action". Should we not have ensured that this work, which has cost the taxpayers millions of euros, was done to a professional standard from the outset? The fact of the matter is that had the roads surface maintenance programme been supervised to a professional standard from the word go, we would now not need to rebuild nearly every road surface on the island.
It is very evident to all that the biggest damage done to our road surfaces is by resurfacing of trenching works done for/by Enemalta and Water Services Corporation and has little to do with the fact that the roads were poorly built. Why do we use hot asphalt only to re-tarmac vast expanses and the smaller repairs are filled with cold asphalt? Why is it that we can never fit a manhole cover that does not sink after the first rains?
Why should we take this statement seriously and not think that this is one of those publicity statements that are released to humour the public yet again? Are we just paying "lip service" to this 20-year-old issue because of the several negative comments that have been posted from all sectors yet again?
I am sure that the minister will now stand by his reputation of someone who "actually delivers" and ensure that not a penny is paid for future road repairs until it is certified by someone who is competent in his/her work and not as is being done at present, sanction costly shoddy workmanship. One appreciates that if the work is done to a decent standard there will be less "Cheer" at Christmas but better maintained roads!
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B Agius
Jul 9th 2009, 02:22
@Mr Martinelli. Contractors who do shoddy work should be taken to court and seriously fined (if there is such provision in the law) - then they might think twice next time and others get the hint. BUT, as you know - and if you don't you should- in Malta, Ministers and other MPs are close to these contractors - ie they know them etc etc wink wink etc etc - so nothing happens. And this is perpetuated by any party who happens to be in Government - ghax ahna hekk!!!!! Who and how is this situation ever going to change?
James Green
Jul 6th 2009, 22:05
Let a man be judged by his actions and not by his words!
Joseph Sammut
Jul 6th 2009, 20:30
@ALL: I wouldn't stop at Enemalta and WSC; how about house connections, developers destroying road surfaces with heavy crane loadings, festa committees digging the road for the Cikcifogu (spelled right?), etc. Some years ago, a regulation was issued where road openings must include tarmac reinstatement of up to one and a half meters on either sides of the required opening: soon forgotten! No one would disagree with the Minister's stern warning; what is lacking is that nothing is mentioned on how quality is going to be implemented and how can this be when Government issues tenders for Project Management at a very low price. For example could one imagine a tender calling for a two year full time management team of Project Manager, Architect, Engineer and supporting staff at Euro35,000? In Malta Project Management enjoys the status of a buzz word rather than a profession. Another local mistake is that Project Management is thought to be the domain of the proverbial local Architect.
TRW O'Neill
Jul 6th 2009, 18:17
Totally agree Charles, for months I have blogged about appauling work by WSC staff, trenches & holes sink often the same day, do WSC have no staff to oversee the lack of quality in the repairs to roads causing at least 90% of the potholes on Maltese roads? Obviously not! Did I not read a couple of months ago that repairs were to be improved? were these more empty retoric? Mayors & Councillors should order WSC to redo all the sunken trenches & holes. It will cost WSC millions, but will make them insist that their staff do the work correctly. The odd thing is all WSC staff have to drive over the same potholes,so much for lack of common sense! Shame on WSC bosses, no sense, no feelings. QED.
Joseph Buttigieg
Jul 6th 2009, 18:17
Austin Gatt should resign if he thinks that the road surface work is not being done as it should be. He is responsable if the work is not done according to the specifications. It is his office that dishes out contracts to contractors. The worst offenders are Enemalta and water works both of which also come under his gurestriction. Its the repairs that are done after Enemalta and Water department that leave our good roads in a mess.
J Martinelli
Jul 6th 2009, 15:49
@ Lawrence Mifsud A vote is an instrument giving the voter the privilege of choosing who he/she wants to elect. It was never intended as a means of 'threatening' an incumbent. The real culprit in your dissatisfaction with road repairs is the contractor and I for one, do not expect the hon Minister to personally supervise each and every repair to a pothole. Yes, the buck ultimately stops at the Minister but long before it reaches that stage, the contractor making shoddy repairs should be named and shamed. Consequently it would then be up to the Minister to strike off the contractor from future bids.
Tony Mangion
Jul 6th 2009, 15:46
It seems that some of the Maltese voters tend to forget even the recent past, so much so that for all the blunders committed by most of the Ministers and staff durig the previous legislature the P.N. should not have won the 2008 general election, even though they won it by a small margin.
Lawrence Mifsud
Jul 6th 2009, 11:37
the PM and his clan listen to the people, mumble to the people, and in the meantime, the commoners suffer in silence.. but they will speak out come next election.