Complaints falling on deaf ears

Social media, in particular Facebook, is rife with complaints, about the way works are being carried out on the rebuilding of Triq il-Kbira San Ġużepp, Ħamrun and Santa Venera.

There is also anger at the closure of roads and the diversion of traffic without prior notice. Not to mention the work that was supposed to be done.

Everyone has his own reason for complaining and being angry. And, unfortunately, the complaints being made to the ministry of infrastructure (responsible for the works), to the local councils of both localities and also to contractors seem to be falling on deaf ears.

Keep killing us slowly!

But the most serious thing for residents is not so much the works that are being carried out, the closure of roads and the traffic diversions but the repercussions we are having on our health. Many like me are suffering from a powerful dust-induced allergy.

We are, in the true sense of the word, being killed slowly. From the time the works started on my side until March 29, I don’t know how many times I’ve had to go to the family doctor and ended up going to see four specialists. One saw me twice and another saw me three times. I don’t know how many medications I’ve taken and am still taking.

Works on Triq il-Kbira San Ġużepp, Ħamrun and Santa Venera have inconvenienced both residents and motorists. Photo: Jonathan Borg

Call the local council and they will tell you that they are unrelated and ask you to call the ministry of infrastructure. Call the ministry and they will tell you they will forward the complaint to the architect in charge.

I called one of the contractors. He didn’t want to believe they had left the sidewalk in the state it was left in. He didn’t want to believe that stones and dust had been left under the pavement. He promised me they would reduce the dust and would soak the pavement and the road. It’s been a week now and nothing has been done. Thank God for the rain we had on Sunday and Monday.

While mentioning the rain, I am bring to the attention of the architects in charge of this project that the problem of residents and shop owners between Lunzjata Street and Cardinal Xiberras Street on one hand and Barbara Street and Cannon Street on the other is the flooding we have whenever it rains.

This is because the culverts that were there were not enough and, for some reason, the water in them had nowhere to go. This problem does not seem to have been solved because new culverts had not been included in the project.

I hope a solution will be found because tens of thousands of euros have been spent to lay new services, create a new pavement and resurface the road. But that’s not what was needed the most. We need a solution to where the rainwater will go.

Michael Caruana – Santa Venera