About five years ago, then parliamentary secretary Jason Azzopardi succeeded in reclaiming 60,000 square metres of coastline between Fomm ir-Riħ and Ġnejna after 300 years in private hands.

As a resulf of that move, this stretch of land, which comprises almost 20 per cent of the islands’ territory, can now be enjoyed without any hassle by the public.

Today, the present government is proposing to bulldoze a stretch of coast in the south to make way for three hotels, probably as a starter for massive development to quench the thirst of developers and speculators for more development and money.

People from Marsascala and the whereabouts are reasonably concerned and shocked at this bolt from the blue, watching helplessly while “the country is being uglified and sent to the dumps of a concrete jungle”, as one resident put it.

I agree with John Paul Cauchi that projects in ODZ land should not even be considered let alone proposed by the government.

Should not the Environment Minister at least say something about this brief if he does not want to defend the environment publicly? Years ago, a Nationalist minister for agriculture defended a farmer who used to work the fields which the government had wanted to give to a mineral company. The government backed down and gave the company an alternative site.