Eco-Gozo blueprint "in coming weeks"

J. Borg

Sep 5th 2009, 18:10

Nadur Cemetry, Hondoq marina, Chambray, Dwejra visitor's centre, Ta Cenc villas, Wied il Mielah outflows, Dwejra Quarries, San Blas discoteque....."Eco" Vadis Gaudos?!

Joe Portelli

Sep 5th 2009, 17:01

The public transport in Gozo is no public transport at all.
Only the Victoria residents are served by it.
I live in nadur. I have no public transport to the ferry and back.
In the afternoon, there is no public transport.
Neiter in the evening.
I cannot use public transport to go to work and back, because it does not exist.
So this means every person must have his own private car.
Otherwise you are stranded.
And tourists and maltese who visit gozo have to do it by their own car, or taxi. Otherwise they are stranded..
So i propose a public transort with mini buses and subsidized by the government as it is in malta.
It will reduce traffic congestion, pollution, CO2 emissions, help improve the tourist product, reduce cost of living in gozo, help those who cannot afford a car...
But nothing is being done...

Joe Portelli

Sep 5th 2009, 16:49

It seems that first an area outside development zone is developed, then it is sanctioned, like the batching plants in the xhajma plain. Some other things were sponsored by the government like the racetrack. Why is it not rehabilitated? In other cases a permit was given where it should not have been like the new Nadur cemetery. It has ruined the landscape leading to Ramla and is being built on top of a natural spring supplying 50,000 litres of water daily. Is this sensible? But because the Church was involved, and prominent members of the Nationalist party were in favour, the permit was issued.. If there had been a public outcry with the Labour Party involved like in the Bahrija development, the permit would have been revoked. There is still time for God's sake. Do it in the name of justice and of the environment.
And why do certain people ruin ridges by building right down into the slope. Don't enforcement officers see these things, who filter out mosquitoes, but swallow camels, like Jesus said.
And some villages will be connected with each other... ghajnsielem with xewkija,.. qala with nadur.....
Lets conserve what little natural environment we have left..

ronald briffa

Sep 5th 2009, 16:20

No wonder with all this negativity around, there's no chance of achieving progress. Let's be patriotic and believ in the strenght of ourselves. Let's join forces and be optimistic
ronald briffa

Joseph Attard

Sep 5th 2009, 15:40

Eco Gozo Blue print....my foot......the word scares me.......does this mean the remaining industries in any sector will be slowly ......getting the sack........or will there be a balance somewhere!
Let s be sensible........Eco Gozo has not even been mentioned by the Minister herself for the last few months....oh she s forgotten a few other sectors too, or does she plan to start Eco Gozo by giving the full sack to the Bus Owners to start off with.........whose next.....the excavation contractors, the building contractors, hotel owners, psst any more......

J Bajada

Sep 5th 2009, 14:24

@ Tyrrell
if you did actually took your concerns to the government, then you did the right thing.
well, we agree on various topics, cos you're surely not the only one not receiving a reply, and also on the fact that in many places around Gozo, a lot of development is taking place, yet there are many empty buildings around the island.
on a fact we surely agree is...let's hope Eco-Gozo really embarks on a start for the benefit of all residents in Gozo and tourists visiting the island.

Charles Sammut (NY USA)

Sep 5th 2009, 13:24

So how long has it been since the Minister for Gozo been running away with the phrase Eco-Gozo? Mrs Debono might fool some of the people some of the time but never all the people all the time. As long as MEPA continues to give the green light for more development in Green Areas like most recently at Belvedere in Qala while remaining so conspicuosly silent the Minister for Gozo is not going to fool anyone any more about her Eco-Gozo slogan..To improve the Ecologicical situation on Gozo she has to take a stand by declaring in no uncertain way that the ODZ zones should be respected and not exploited; No Marinas in Hondoq Bay and thus preserving a popular bathing area; improve the parking situaton in Victoria and the Gozo ferry lines in Imgarr so that you have fewer cars on the local streets idling and polluting the environment and clogging the streets..
We all now that talk is cheap and her record in all the years as Minister of Gozo as far as the Environment goes is anything but stellar. And I feel sure that her campaign in her one liner slogans will not be fooling anybody anymore.

James A. Tyrrell

Sep 5th 2009, 13:07

@J Bajada. Actually I went one better than that and took my concerns and suggestions directly to the Government. Did I receive a reply? Of course not.

It's not a case of arguing about everything as you state but of pointing out simple facts. It's very easy for Gonzi to shout about an eco-Gozo concept, especially coming up to election time, but trying to put such a concept into practice is something else. They can't talk of eco-Gozo on the one hand and talk about destroying the tourist aspect of the island on the other.

I've been coming to Gozo for years now and will be back in a couple of month’s time. The only changes I've seen are more empty properties and half finished shells and yet the development continues. Gozo is a jewel in the Mediterranean Sea and has the ability to become a self-sustaining eco-island if treated right. My concern is that the eco-Gozo concept simply turns into nice little development projects for Government supporters!

A Spiteri

Sep 5th 2009, 12:57

Can someone tell me how giving the permit to hold a party on the beautiful sandy beach of San Blas fall in line with the Eco-Gozo concept???? Is Eco-Gozo just another buzz-word to make people believe that politics care (when in reality we see everyday that they dont)? Don't politicants realise that by creating all these unrealisable illusions (unrealisable not because we don't have the resources, but because from the top all the way down, there is no REAL commitment to make a change) they are just making us lose credibility in them and the whole system?

J Bajada

Sep 5th 2009, 12:37

@Tyrrell
instead of lamenting here on a newspaper website, why didn't you brought about your arguments on the website set by the government exactly for that reason, to offer suggestions?
you seem to be one of those who argues just about everything. is it possible that our country doesn't manage to do anything right?! oh i understand now, perhaps you just fix your eyes and mind on just ONE channel on tv and 1 newspaper...

James A. Tyrrell

Sep 5th 2009, 12:18

Can Gozo Minister Giovanna Debono tell us how turning Hondoq Bay into a yacht marina would fall in line with an eco-Gozo vision? Since the minister supported this idea she should be able to tell us how polluting the best swimming area on the island will be beneficial.

Then perhaps she would be kind enough to explain how transporting 1.2 million kegs of chicken shit through the village of Gharb to a proposed mushroom factory will benefit the people of Gozo? We know it will benefit the developer who no doubt is a contributor to the PN’s political coffers but how does it fit into the eco-Gozo concept Giovanna?

And when you get through with that perhaps you could touch on the idea which the Government is presently looking at for the destruction of more of Gozo’s history and environment in order to create an airstrip which no-one actually needs, except the developers and rich businessmen.

Do I expect an answer to these questions? No, of course I don’t as the only thing the so called Minister seems to be good at is cutting ribbons and doing the odd favour for friends and supporters.