Discriminating against locals

It is 3pm and the day is Friday, June 16. I live in Piscopo Macedonia Street, Xemxija. With all doors and windows closed, I can still hear the continuous rumbling sound of machinery being used for demolition in what was once the Mistra Village.

There is legislation that states that demolition and excavation works should stop in tourist areas between June 15 and September 30. Since I am neither a tourist nor a local living in a specific street in a tourist area, I am not entitled to relax and rest during the summer months.

The legislation which bars demolition and excavation from taking place in the summer period states: “This initiative takes into account the inconvenience that construction sites have on the surrounding neighbourhood.” Am I and many other locals not part of the surrounding Mistra Village neighbourhood? Have we, locals, who aren’t tourists, not got the right to also get our well-deserved rest and relaxation in summer?

To add insult to injury, the legislation elaborates by stating that “the enforcement is one way of mitigating the nuisance that construction sites leave on both the tourism industry and the number of Maltese families who move to their summer residences”. So because many of us are not part of the ‘tourism industry’ (that means we don’t contribute towards the growth of the economy during summer) and do not ‘emigrate’ to a tourism area in summer, we have no right not to be affected by this ‘nuisance’!

There couldn’t be any legislation more discriminatory than this. Why should certain locals or tourists be allowed to enjoy a peaceful summer simply because they live in specific streets in certain localities and others have to suffer through no fault of theirs?

Let all Maltese citizens living in any street in any locality benefit from the legislation that bars demolition and excavation work to be carried out during summer.

Let the Malta Tourism Authority stop discriminating against any local citizen. Let us all, whoever we are and wherever we are, enjoy our well-deserved summer rest.

Ray Azzopardi – Xemxija

Fire safety awareness

Fire safety legislation, especially in high-rises, is welcome and long overdue. Photo: Shutterstock.com

The news of proper fire safety legislation in the pipeline (June 17) is welcome, if long overdue, especially with so many tall buildings mushrooming all over the place.

Local appreciation of this danger is indeed astonishingly poor in that one hears that, in Malta, it is not an issue because “we don’t build with timber”!

Also, the ban on using lifts is often met with a Maltese attitude of flouting rules, thinking it’s a smart move rather than a potential death trap. There is also poor realisation that, in a fire, smoke will probably kill you before the fire itself.

After a lifetime overseas, I am familiar with surprise fire drills, in both corporate and residential buildings. You are not told whether or not it is the real thing and if you have to walk down 36 levels, well, hard luck because you can be prosecuted for non-compliance with the fire department’s orders.

I wonder how many people rushing to live in the clouds realise this.

Anna Micallef – Sliema