Lack of investment in Qawra and Buġibba

I would like to comment on the article entitled Bleak Situation For Northern Hotels (October 13) and the Resources Ministry's response listing a number of roads which were neglected for a long number of years and were partly patched up last year, as if this was done as an investment to improve Qawra and Buġibba.

I am not going to reply in kind and list the number of roads and pavements that are to date still in a dangerous condition and require urgent repairs or upgrading, as to list them all would take a full page in this newspaper. However, can anyone enlighten me as to when giving the local residents, as well as the visitors to these parts, a decent road surface to walk on, is called investment, embellishment or an upgrade programme?

Isn't this just standard maintenance? Is this not just scraping the bottom of the proverbial barrel in order to make up excuses and provide readers with silly answers to make up for all these years of neglect?

Why are they still harping on about the elevated beach that has now been operational for a number of years but failing to mention that very little or nothing else has been done other than a few flower troughs which serve to impede access on the already narrow promenade pavement. For the past 10 years or so we have been constantly reminded about the Ta' Fra Ben projects which we will believe when we see and of course one can only hope that should this project happen public car parks will be included, for this in itself would help regenerate the area; if tourist and locals can park easily they will find it easier to come to the area.

Qawra and Buġibba have suffered from a lack of investment both by the central government and local council. Funds which were allocated by the central government to St Paul's Bay Council to also cover Xemxija, Wardija, Burmarrad, Qawra and Buġibba for various projects, have in the main been spent on the village core itself or squandered on projects like the now infamous Sirens toilets, while the rest of the area had to go without any sort of improvements or even a decent maintenance programme. I ask anyone to have a walk around St Paul's Bay village itself and see and compare for themselves the standard of side roads and pavements with the ones in Qawra and Buġibba!

Again our resort has been crying out for some decent management of general services including rubbish collection and a methodical street cleaning service, especially during the peak periods, as the place is left filthy. All we are told is the same old story that there are not sufficient funds allocated by the central government as the funds provided only cover for the 20,000 permanent residents, and that the increase by another 40,000 in peak summer periods is not catered for.

This begs the question as to why has the council, for all these years, sat on its laurels and never openly protested at this unfair distribution of our taxes by the central government. We all know the answer - no one wants to upset the political cart, so as to make sure that they stand a better chance of being re-elected at the next elections and in the meantime the neglect and filth continues year after year, with this area reminiscent of a third world resort.

Does anyone need to remind readers of the good old days when Qawra and Buġibba were a thriving resort, hotels were packed all year round, job vacancies in the sector were on tap, the business community was flourishing...and now? Is this the bright future that we were all promised for our area?