Moviment Graffitti is deeply concerned about the ongoing works carried out in Wied Qirda under the orders of Infrastructure Malta over the last two weeks of December, at the height of the holiday season. The works in question involve the construction of a bridge in a protected area for which no permit has been obtained.
This has been going on despite the fact that the Environment and Resources Authority (ERA) issued a Stop and Compliance Order for Wied Qirda 50 days ago. The very same authority had already stopped Infrastructure Malte from carrying on with the roadworks which include asphalting, widening of the paths and laying down the foundations for the bridge. The enforcement notices were not only ignored, but also removed, and the works carried on as if nothing had happened.
Wied Qirda is listed as a special area of conservation which deserves protection, as set out in the laws of Malta, and no development may take place in it without the authorisation of the Environment and Resources Authority under the Environment Protection Act. The person to blame for all this is none other than Engineer Frederick Azzopardi, the right-hand man of Minister Ian Borg. Azzopardi feels entitled to place himself above the law, as is often shown by his arrogance and contempt for the law. As head of Infrastructure Malta, he is well known for being at the helm of projects carried out despite no permit being obtained, including the widening of Tal-Balal Road. Not surprisingly, yet again he seems to find nothing wrong with charging through the valley, without any concern for the people of Żebbuġ, in a similar fashion like one of his monstrous machines.
This concrete bridge, approximately 9 metres wide, is being constructed to facilitate access between one side of the valley and the other for the benefit of lawyer, architect, and Government consultant, Robert Musumeci. The bridge will replace the concrete dam, which was also constructed illegally almost 20 years ago. If these works are being carried out to rectify past abuses, why are they not being carried out in cooperation with the environmental authority as required by law?
One is bound to ask why over the past 50 days the Planning Authority has failed to take any action with regards to this development and why Infrastructure Malta has chosen not to cooperate with ERA and has carried on with this flagrant abuse in broad daylight.
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Lil Wied Qirda Qed Jeqirduh
Il-Moviment Graffitti huwa mħasseb bix-xogħlijiet li baqgħu għaddejjin f’Wied Qirda minn Infrastructure Malta fl-aħħar ġimagħtejn ta’ Diċembru, waqt l-eqqel tal-vaganzi, fuq żvilupp ta’ pont bla permess f’żona protetta.
Dan kollu seħħ minkejja l-fatt li l-Awtorità għall-Ambjent u r-Riżorsi, l-ERA, ħarġet Ordni ta’ Waqfien u ta’ Konformità ġewwa Wied Qirda 50 ġurnata ilu. L-istess awtorità kienet diġà waqqfet lil Infrastructure Malta milli jkomplu x-xogħlijiet tal-asfaltar, twessigħ ta’ mogħdijiet u żvilupp ta’ pedamenti għall-istess pont. Il-karti tal-infurzar tqaċċtu mill-post u x-xogħol kompla qisu qatt ma kien xejn.
Wied Qirda huwa żona ta’ konservazzjoni protetta, kif elenkat fil-liġijiet ta’ Malta, u lebda żvilupp ma jista’ jsir fih mingħajr awtorizzazzjoni mill-Awtorità għall-Ambjent u r-Riżorsi (ERA) taħt l-Att dwar il-Protezzjoni tal-Ambjent. Il-ħtija ta’ dan kollu hija ta’ ħadd ħlief l-Inġinier Frederick Azzopardi, li huwa l-id leminija tal-Ministru Ian Borg li spiss iħoss li huwa ’l fuq mil-liġi bl-aġir arroganti u disprezzanti tiegħu. L-Inġ. Azzopardi, kap ta’ Infrastructure Malta, diġà huwa magħruf għall-mod kif mexxa proġetti mingħajr permess inklużi dawk tat-twessigħ tat-Triq tal-Balal, u fil-fatt reġa’ deherlu li jista’ jgħaddi minn fuq iż-Żebbuġin bħal waħda mill-gafef tiegħu.
Dan il-pont tal-konkos, li huwa xi 9 metri wiesa’, qed jinbena biex joħloq aċċess bejn naħa u oħra tal-wied biex jinqeda l-avukat, perit u konsulent tal-Gvern, Robert Musumeci. Il-pont se jieħu post id-diga (dam) tal-konkos, li tpoġġiet ukoll illegalment kważi 20 sena ilu. Jekk dan ix-xogħol qed isir biex jikkoreġi abbużi li saru fil-passat, għaliex ma jsirx f’kooperazzjoni mal-awtorità ambjentali kif tirrikjedi l-liġi?
Wieħed ikollu wkoll jistaqsi għaliex f’50 ġurnata, l-Awtorità tal-Ippjanar ma ħadet ebda azzjoni fuq dan l-iżvilupp, u għaliex Infrastructure Malta naqset milli tikkoopera malERA u komplew għaddejjin b’dan l-abbuż fil-beraħ.
