Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi yesterday brushed aside questions concerning a SmartCity payment dispute, saying that the issue was a private one and that he was concerned with “the bigger picture”.
He also voiced optimism that the project was “on target and, in certain aspects, ahead of schedule”.
According to a report in Sunday newspaper Illum, two private contractors working on the Smart City project have taken legal action against SmartCity Malta, which is part of Dubai-based TECOM Investments, over the alleged failure to pay for completed works.
Asked to comment, Dr Gonzi said the case “involved a dispute between two private parties” and that the case would be dealt with by the civil courts.
A Transport Ministry spokesman said much the same, describing the SmartCity project as a private one and suggesting that any questions concerning the dispute “should be addressed to the developers”.
Dr Gonzi expressed satisfaction with the pace of ongoing works on the SmartCity project. “The project is progressing according to the timetable we had established. In certain aspects, work is even ahead of schedule,” the Prime Minister said.
Although the first office block, with 12,000 square metres of office space, was inaugurated last October, the entire project is only due to be completed by 2021.
The project encompasses an area of 360,000 square metres around Ricasoli point and envisages a blend of residential, commercial and office space built with state-of-the-art information technology and communications infrastructure. According to SmartCity Malta, the project will generate over 5,600 jobs.
Hewlett Packard, Cisco, St James Hospital, Smart Technologies and Corinthia have all announced their intention to rent out space within SmartCity.
The project has attracted its fair share of interest since its unveiling in 2007, although it has not been universally positive.
Concerns have been raised about the adequacy of road infrastructure leading to the SmartCity area. A report by sociologist Mario Vassallo published last year claimed that existing traffic provisions would be a “total disaster” for residents of Fgura.
In 2009 Finance Minister Tonio Fenech admitted that work on the project had slowed down following the onset of economic recession in Dubai.