Fiona Galea Debono
Luqa, Żurrieq await new roads two years on
Roads in Luqa and Żurrieq, which the government promised would be finished by 2008, had still not materialised, the local councils complained.
The mayors of both localities appealed to the government to stop dragging its feet on four roads in Luqa and 24 in Żurrieq, which should have been completed two years ago according to a timetable given in the 2007 Budget. It was promised that works on residential roads, started in 2006, would be completed by the end of 2008.
About 230 residents lived in the Luqa streets in question and 180 in those at Żurrieq, the mayors said, stressing that they were all paying road contributions and should, therefore, not have to withstand the degrading conditions they had to face.
The roads were in a very bad state, said Luqa mayor John Schembri, and needed to be fixed as soon as possible, especially because winter was round the corner.
Żurrieq mayor Silvio Izzo Savona said that out of 35 roads the government promised to build, only 11 materialised and the rest remained on paper, causing major inconvenience to the families, who had to live in dust and mud.
The local councils were applying pressure for the roads to be built, while ensuring that those that fell under their responsibility were completed in the shortest time possible.
Labour’s spokesman for local councils, MP Stefan Buontempo, expressed doubts on whether the 475 roads the government flagged would be completed within a year, adding that they would only be resurfaced and the underlying services forgotten.
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mary beaumont (nee schembri)
Sep 14th 2010, 22:48
This is typical of political leaders playing politics with local residents livelyhoods. I have been to complain about the local area for several years to no avail. When you do raise issues in the locality they seem brushed aside. The area highlighted in Zurrieq has been neglected with rubble walls collapsed into the road, Electricity poles in the middle of the road and now recycling bins in a position next to the substation which is a great danger with respect to health and safety, what were the local council thinking about when they placed them and I would not mind betting they did not seek the approval of enemalta ! Not only do the national government have blame in all this but so too do the local council, shame on them all....it's sad for everyone in these areas and only a matter of time before an accident occurs.
Emanuel Farrugia
Sep 9th 2010, 19:30
Weghdiet u weghdiet imma meta qeghdin isiru? Forsi meta tasal l-elezzjoni kemm tal-Kunsilli kif ukoll dik generali.
Emanuel Farrugia former Executive Secretary Mtarfa Local Council
A.Agius
Sep 9th 2010, 19:08
Triq Guzeppi Mattew Callus Zurrieq reghhet saret qisha wicc il-qamar avolja ghadhom kemm tawha ftit irqajja qabel il-festi.
Issa li l-GVERN tas- 2nd hand intesa zmienu tghid irid jerggha jitnissel hu biex din it-triq tinghata laqa tarmac li ilha tkun mweghda qatiegh??
Il-pacenzja fiha limitu u kullhadd ser jaghmel kif jaqbillu hekk kif jerga jasal il-waqt li staqsejt meta u wegbuni daqt :-))
J. Schembri
Sep 9th 2010, 18:29
Hats off for the Mayors for pointing out the government's shortcomings , but what about the state of disrepair of the existing road between Bubaqra and Nigret for which Mayor Izzi Savona is responsible? We've been waiting for the resurfacing of this road for ages, but all we got was expensive shoddy patching.
Isn't this a case of the pot calling the kettle black?
Jason Azzopardi
Sep 9th 2010, 11:34
At Ramla, Nadur, Gozo, we have been waiting for the residential Ramla road be fixed in a decent manner for over 45 years. Everyone says next year, next year, and the street which is a main road leading to Ramla has never b een fixed. It's promised over and over, and the promise is always broken. And this by both PN and PL.. Shame on you all.