The government intends to issue a call for private investment in an extension of the Addolorata Cemetery, Parliamentary Secretary Chris Fearne said in Parliament this evening.

He was replying to questions by Nationalist MP Claudette Buttigieg, who asked what funding had been allocated for an extension and for maintenance of the cemetery.

Dr Fearne said the former government had 'abandoned' the cemetery. It had intended to extend it and in 2008 it spent €1.5m for the purpose, but no extension materialised.

He said the government was planning a public-private partnership for the extension of the cemetery and the sale of grave so that the government itself would not need to make any capital outlay.

The call for expressions of interests would be issued once Mepa granted the necessary permit, since the permit issued under the former government had expired.

He said that even though the permit had expired, the former government before the election made several promise of sale agreements with people interested in acquiring graves. But the graves were not dug and the agreements were not registered.  Those promise of sale agreements would be renewed until the extension was completed, by the present government. 

Ms Buttigieg noted that Dr Fearne had not said how much funding had been allocated to the cemetery, for the simple reason that there was none.  

http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20111031/local/Cemetery-to-be-privately-managed.391481