Works on the Addolorata Cemetery have finally kicked off, with building of new graves to start in the coming weeks.

Addressing a press conference on Friday, Health Minister Chris Fearne said that the building of new graves would take about three years to complete while the process to restore the entire burial grounds would go on for six years.

The upgrade to the island’s largest burial grounds has been a long-time coming, with some 1,500 people already entering into a promise of sale agreement for one of the 2,880 graves that will be built as part of the extension project.

Last year, The Sunday Times of Malta had reported that the government would be making about €7 million from the sale of new graves at the cemetery, with prices for the graves set at €8,000, up by some €3,000.

Mr Fearne said that there were people who had been on the waiting list to purchase a grave for some 50 years, pointing out that the work being carried out as part of the project would eradicate such a list.

The works will be carried out by Camp Santo – a joint venture formed by Polidano Brothers Limited, Camray Company Ltd and Mario Tonna – who were awarded a 15-year concession for €15.1 million for works on the cemetery.

In recent years, the cemetery has come to resemble abandoned grounds and not a peaceful place where relatives could mourn their loved. During visits in recent months, the Times of Malta often found mountains of garbage bags in various areas, and while there were several rubbish bins in place, these proved useless, as they were still badly damaged and rusting, with garbage spilling from the side of the bins in some cases.

Signs were also badly damaged, in some instance becoming almost illegible.