Hoteliers worried over lack of public cleanliness

It was "deplorable" to stroll along tourist prime sites and promenades only to be faced by "littered streets, overflowing bins, rampant weeds, broken pavements, gravel, dust and general filth", hoteliers have complained. Directing its criticism towards government entities responsible for public cleanliness, the Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association said it was concerned with the lack of this "essential service".

Describing the situation as "unacceptable", the MHRA called on the authorities to address the problem with immediate effect.

"It has become increasingly apparent in many key locations such as Paceville, Sliema front and Buġibba, as well as our beaches, that basic public cleaning services such as the removal of litter, emptying of bins and ground washing have become virtually non-existent," the MHRA said. The responsible parties appointed specifically for such tasks and paid through public funds must be held accountable for their gross inefficiencies and negligence, it insisted.

It said that over recent years the government had championed the "imposition" of sweeping rules and regulations on virtually every area of the private sector in an attempt to improve standards and quality. "Hefty fines, loss of licences and other harsh repercussions are faced by defaulters. But what is government doing to get its own house in order?"

The MHRA demanded that those failing their obligations be seriously reprimanded and the basic service to the country be restored.

The Resources and Rural Affairs Ministry said it had taken a number of initiatives to improve the general environment of public areas.

In the past months, it said, Buġibba and Qawra had been upgraded in a project that also saw the involvement of the local council, the Malta Transport Authority and the Malta Tourism Authority. This included re-surfacing and patching of main roads, pavement repairs, painting of benches and railings.

Admitting that more needed had to be done, the ministry said it was sad that the MHRA never applauded any initiatives taken by the government. No public statements were issued following the upgrade of the main business district of Tower Road, High Street, Cathedral Street and the re-instatement of St Anne Square in Sliema, it said. Moreover, praise was not forthcoming in relation to the re-organisation of beach cleansing, the continuous presence of cleaners on beaches, replacement of bins, installation of waste separation bins on the beaches or the upgrading of all beach ladders.

The ministry said the places mentioned by the MHRA all fell under the responsibility of local councils.

It said workers were being deployed to Paceville on a 24-hour basis, clearing bins at least four times a day and sweeping. Moreover, every night the roads in Paceville were washed.

The promenade between St Julians and Sliema was swept and cleaned every evening and an extra refuse collection was being done daily after 7 p.m. to collect waste generated by commercial outlets.