Common areas in government housing apartments in Sta Luċija are dilapidated and abandoned and the mayor has urged the government to do something about it.

The local council had become helpless in assisting the residents tackle problems such as a cracked stairwell and broken electricity switches, especially after a particular government department was dismantled, mayor Frederick Cutajar told a press conference yesterday.

Till last year, the council would forward complaints by residents of government housing to the Housing and Maintenance Construction Department, which took care of upkeep. However, the department no longer existed having been dismantled by the government last year, moving the workers to other departments, Mr Cutajar said.

“They were really efficient and would come and do the jobs the apartments required. But the council wasn’t even informed this department no longer exists,” he added.

Accompanied by the locality’s Labour councillors, Mr Cutajar showed the press a common room that was in darkness because the light switch did not work and had never been replaced. Some of the tiles in the room, which holds all the residents’ letter boxes, were damaged, probably by the roots of the trees outside.

Mr Cutajar said a woman lived in a house with small pieces of plastic stuck over cracks in the walls and the roof of another apartment had caved in.

Residents now had either to go directly to the Housing Authority offices in Floriana if they wanted to file a complaint or else call a government landline, which was not always answered promptly, Mr Cutajar said. Sometimes, they also had to register for a scheme under the Housing Authority that cost about €25, he said.

Although he admitted the onus of maintaining the building was also shared by the residents, he pointed out that if a place was in disarray it would only get worse if nothing was done.

Another problem was the lack of lifts in the apartment blocks, mainly because it was difficult for the 16 or so families who lived in each one to reach an agreement.

“There are elderly people who need a lift but nothing is done because it’s difficult for them to agree. However, I believe the authority should just go ahead and install them,” Mr Cutajar said. Labour housing spokesman Roderick Galdes, who was present, said the apartments were totally abandoned by the government, which led to neglect. “We are unhappy about the situation. These are the country’s capital assets,” he said.

Housing Authority chairman Charles Borg said the work previously handled by the Housing and Maintenance Construction Department was now being done directly by the Housing Authority.

“The mayor himself admitted that many problems in the area are caused because of disagreements between residents and is well aware that maintenance works in common areas are ultimately the responsibility of the tenants and the Housing Authority is not responsible for vandalism,” Mr Borg said.

Tenants of government dwellings and local councils where such apartments were situated could contact the authority to make requests for repairs in common areas of apartment blocks and this was a free service.

When reports were recieved, technical people followed up the requests and proceeded with the inspections accordingly. Requests were then classified according to the urgency, he said.

The authority, he said, was issuing a number of tenders to be able to meet such requests, particularly for urgent structural works, drainage-related problems and repairs in electrical systems. A programme of works on the facade of housing blocks was also being prepared.

The authority was promoting the development of residents’ associations in housing blocks to take on the responsibility for the maintenance of common areas.