‘Għajjejna’: Residents Taking To The Streets Of Gżira Tonight In Protest Against Roadworks Delays
The residents of Gżira are set to take to the streets of their locality tonight to protest against the overwhelming delays surrounding roadworks.
This comes as it has taken local authorities over a year and a half of working on the arterial road of Triq Manoel in Gżira – and it’s still not finished.
Today, 14th August at 7pm, residents are set to meet in front of the Knisja tal-Madonna tal-Karmnu in Gżira, to make their voices heard against the delays and all the problems they’ve caused for them.
“If you really love Gżira, come join us,” the poster reads.
“I hear that the word is being spread that the responsibility for the ongoing work on Manuel De Vilhena Street falls on me and the council, which is absolutely not the case. It’s important to clarify matters, and whoever is responsible should own up to their role without unjustly shifting blame onto others,” Mayor Conrad Borg Manche said on Facebook.
“Residents are suffering from significant inconveniences, large excavations, and a lack of safety. In fact, even yesterday I spoke to the mother of a young girl, not even a year older, living on this street, who suffers from chronic asthma due to the dust.”
“The project began in February 2022, and now, a year and a half later, it’s not only ongoing but has come to a complete halt.”
He explained how primarily, the excavation was done to lay new services and create the base for the pavement. These civil works were carried out by Infrastructure Malta, an entity under Minister Aaron Farrugia.
These civil works took a year and three months to complete, and this excavation has significantly contributed to the large number of workers missing for the timely completion of the work.
The excavation is in its second phase, and the responsible entity is Public Works, which currently falls under Minister Stefan Zrinzo Azzopardi.
“Until now, we still don’t have definite information about the progress of the excavation and when the works will continue,” he said.
“It’s inconceivable and unacceptable that a street of just over 200 meters would take all this time to be completed.”
Establishments on this street were forced to close due to significant financial problems that arose, and others that are still open are suffering from a lack of business, and from this, the residents of this street are suffering from respiratory problems.
“I urge everyone to stand with the residents of this street and show our support. Finally, this street is the main road of Gżira, affecting everyone,” Borg Manche said, assuring that he will be joining the residents tonight.
“Let’s deliver this message and, above all, rectify the mistakes that led to many of the inconveniences that could have been avoided.”