Both too little and too late (2)

It has been three long years since I notified the mayor, Graziella Galea and her father, Nationalist MP Ċensu Galea of several dangerous pitfalls in Qawra and the surrounding areas in a report they had requested and which was handed to them within days.

In the report I included the need for the surfacing of part of Triq it-Trill and I also highlighted this and other dangerous pitfalls in various contributions to The Times on several occasions.

However it was only after a recent meeting with councillor Peter Abela, who I showed around, that he immediately promised to action the works. True to his word he also agreed to arrange for the pruning of the overgrown bushes on the seafront promenade, which will allow those walking to once again enjoy the sea view. Lo and behold some of these works, namely the surfacing of part of Triq it-Trill, have now been completed just two weeks before the local council elections.

Two things come out of this: the positive is that councillor Abela has kept his word while on the other hand the works were completed only two weeks before the council election, which is nothing short of an election gimmick, irrespective of how it will now be dressed up.

Let us also remember that along with the pruning of the bushes and the surfacing of Triq it-Trill, there was also another very dangerous pitfall: the four-storey deep illegal excavation at Qawra Point which has been left dangerously open for many years without a boundary wall. This has meant that families have not allowed their children to play outside because of this danger on their doorstep. Yet again we have very recently seen a boundary wall built to secure this site.

Again we can tell how the present St Paul’s Bay local council does things… it only gets things done before the election so as to get one’s vote and they then revert to ignoring you during their term in office!