It seems Minister Austin Gatt has adopted a new approach. When something irks him, he "orders" the ADT to rectify the situation, especially when it happens on his doorstep in Gozo.

But when the public register a valid complaint, such as the scandalous closure of Church Street in Paceville, obviously to accommodate one business at the expense of everyone else's convenience, then there is total silence from ADT and the minister.

My previous letter published in The Times about the matter has been totally ignored. Last weekend there was going to be a tragedy, when an ambulance could not get out of a traffic jam in front of the Hilton roundabout. Church Street would have been the obvious "safety valve", but was inaccessible because of a fixed restaurant platform right in the middle of a supposedly semi-pedestrianised street.

Now to add insult to injury, another piece of public land has been given on a platter to some promotions company. This is the very much-needed car park in front of Tigulio. Valuable parking space is taken up by a platform advertising a new car. This is tantamount to the rule of the jungle with privileges being dished out with no concern to the public at large. Can the ministry confirm whether this latest is a give-away, or are our government coffers benefiting, and if so, by how much?

Motorists and residents alike deserve the courtesy of some ministry action.