Six Mosta Shops Request Compensation After Roadworks Greatly Disrupt Business For Year And A Half
Six shops and eateries located in Triq il-Kbira, Mosta have formally requested compensation for damages to their businesses sustained as a result of roadworks that have dragged on for over a year and a half.
The proprietors of DC Dress Code, The Convenience Shop, Paul & Waters, Kebab Time, Glo Up, and Treasures Baby and Kids Wear filed a judicial protest, signed by lawyer Elaine Sammut, against Infrastructure Malta, Transport Malta, the Mosta local council and building contractor Carmel Vella Ltd.
“Not only did the applicants invest money to purchase their stock and make their outlets attractive, but they strive on a daily basis to provide their clients with the best possible service, and until recently they had many repeat customers,” the judicial protest reads.
The arterial road was first closed off for roadworks in November 2020 and reopened a month later, but it was closed off again in March 2021 and hasn’t been open since, to the great frustration of residents, businesses and commuters alike.
Blaming “gross negligence” for the second closure of Triq il-Kbira, the businesses warned they have suffered a major decline in business and a blow to their reputation, and that their complaints and requests for a deadline consistently on deaf ears.
“They are filing this judicial protest because they are in a desperate situation as a result of a lack of planning, with excess noise due to heavy vehicles passing through in the morning and construction dust even entering their shop,” the protest reads.
“A substantial number of clients no longer frequent these shops because they have to pass through dust and mud to enter them, a result of negligence, carelessness and law-breaking.”
The judicial protest goes on to mention specific examples of how the businesses have suffered throughout the roadworks.
Glo Up’s basement ended up flooded during a summer shower because the culverts that were being installed weren’t connected to the drainage system and let water out right outside the shop.
Kebab Time’s floor tiles were damaged by construction and the owner had to place the entire up for rent due to the extreme impracticality of running a kebab store in the middle of a construction site.
Treasures Baby and Kids Wear, an infant clothes shop, lost several of its clients, as pushchairs could no longer pass and the route became too dangerous for elderly people.
“The businesses aren’t making any profit and are being forced to invest more money to maintain their operations in the hope that the road will reopen quickly and that they can return to the old status quo,” the judicial protest reads. “Even then, they know it will probably be months or years before they can return to the same profit margins.”
Besides compensation, they are also requesting an official timeline for the end of the roadworks and necessary measures to be taken in the interim to prevent further physical damage to the shops.
Cover photo: Left: Two of the shops who signed the judicial protest (Photo: Kebab Time – Facebook), Right: Flooding experienced during road works
READ NEXT: Gozitans No Longer Feel Safe Leaving Their Key In The Front Door, PN MP Alex Borg Warns
