A lift that was installed in Valletta five years ago as part of a €5 million project has repeatedly malfunctioned, the mayor has complained.
The lift that connects Ġnien Laparelli to City Gate has been out of service for at least a year but has been beset with maintenance issues since 2019.
It was installed as part of the multimillion euro restoration of the Valletta ditch, which former prime minister Joseph Muscat hailed as “a positive example of urban greenery”.
The head of the government’s cleansing and maintenance division said it would be back in service by today.
However, anyone who has wanted to enjoy the gardens has had to climb around 80 steps as the lift is usually out of order.
Tina Gatt Frendo, who is seven months pregnant, is one of the many Valletta employees who parks her car in the car park outside the garden.
“It is shameful to say that this lift rarely works. I might have used it five times in the two years I have been working here,” she told Times of Malta.
She said that, while her situation is temporary, she feels the situation is unfair for those with a disability or the elderly.
“This is not a one-off occurrence but a daily matter,” she added. “I am livid at the fact that so much money has been spent on something that rarely works. There are people who cannot even climb up those stairs but still need to get on with their day.”
Valletta mayor Alfred Zammit said that the council has received numerous reports about the lift malfunctioning throughout the years.
I am livid at the fact that so much money has been spent on something that rarely works
While the project was spearheaded by the Grand Harbour Regeneration Corporation, the maintenance of the Laparelli gardens, including that of the stairs and lift, falls under the responsibility of the government’s cleansing and maintenance division.
Its director general, Ramon Deguara said that the lift was “custom made” and required parts costing around €2,500 that need to be ordered from overseas.
“The main issue is that the door rollers and sensors are damaged and the doors do not open,” he said.
“The last thing we want is someone to get stuck in the lift and the doors do not open. This is a huge issue for safety operations.”
He acknowledged that the lift had been out of service for the past year but said that he hoped it would be operating again this week.
“In the meantime, our engineers have managed to modify these parts, so instead of having to wait another two months for the lift to be operating once again, we hope that, by Tuesday, the lift will be operational again,” he said.