The owner of a bird park in Salini has had to sack employees after a project to upgrade the Coast Road blocked access to the attraction.
Kevin Mallia said the bird park was originally accessible from two roads, both of which were closed off because of the works, which started in August.
He filed a judicial protest against the Transport Ministry, Transport Malta and the Police Commissioner claiming damages he suffered as a result of the project.
Mr Mallia said he had contacted the project architects and was informed by the lead architect that Transport Malta had issued instructions to keep access to the bird park open. However, this was not done.
Tourists, especially those coming from the direction of Buġibba and St Paul’s Bay, could not gain access to the bird park
To add insult to injury, access to pedestrians had also been completely blocked off by a large concrete block. Mr Mallia said tourists, especially those coming from the direction of Buġibba and St Paul’s Bay, could not gain access to the bird park.
Visitors, he said, were told by workers to take a 5.6 kilometre detour to get there.
In addition to this, a bus stop close by for visitors arriving by public transport was also removed.
It was only on October 21, after several meetings with contractors and architects involved in the project, that access was temporarily granted.
Mr Mallia said that as a result of limited access, the park had no option but to terminate the employment of a number of workers. The closure also mean loss of earnings, he said.
He said that although this problem could have been avoided with some foresight and proper planning, no precautions had been taken to limit the effect of the road project on the Bird Park.
Malta’s specially designed bird park was inaugurated in July 2012 by Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi who had described it as a “natural oasis”.
Lawyer Robert Piscopo signed the protest.