In a press conference held in Paola’s main square, spokespersons from ADPD – the Green Party, said that it’s time to stop wasting money on infrastructural projects that have been badly planned. Besides, there should be consistency in government policies, that on the one hand speaks of action against climate change, whilst at the same time fails to minimise traffic, which is the leading cause of air pollution, with serious health consequences which are well-documented and also of climate change impacting our country. The development of infrastructure that doesn’t take into consideration the impacts on people’s health and of climate change is a waste of the limited resources of our country.
ADPD Deputy Chairperson Carmel Cacopardo said that what has happened in Paola’s main square is a clear example of how lack of proper planning leads to the expenditure of millions of Euros which not only do not lead to the desired result but also causes a degradation of the urban environment.
Everybody remembers the numerous trees that used to adorn this square, providing shade and shelter to the public. When the trees were uprooted and removed, some were replaced by plants, in a project that cost around €3 million.
Notwithstanding the main reason for the project was for the square to become more accessible to people, with paving which was to be consistent with the promotion of slower and safer urban traffic and also the reduction in traffic through Paola’s centre, including the banning of large heavy vehicles from the square, the diversion of traffic through Paola during the Marsa Junction project rendered this an exercise in futility. This is why we are now in a situation were the paving is being covered by asphalt, and the area is just another congested, polluted urban centre.
The intended transformation of this square, as stated by the project’s architect earlier this week was the prioritisation of people over traffic. This basic tenet underpinned the justification for the project, which transformed the open space from a large roundabout to a square for people and not for cars and large vehicles, severely polluting the air in the centre of Paola. The plan was the right one and it was even consistent with supposed climate policies and the aims of the government. However this plan was thwarted as it remained business as usual for traffic.
What is the point of large expenditure on projects of this type, only for these to fail since the intended aims did not materialise because of the lack of authorities’ political will? The damage sustained by the new infrastructure was a direct cause of the huge traffic volumes passing through the square. This was not minimised and was not controlled as had supposedly been planned, ended Cacopardo.
ADPD’s chairperson, Sandra Gauci said that lack of proper long-term vision and planning on our roads has led to a ridiculous situation. It’s all a bad joke, at the expense of people’s taxes. After much pomp and inaugurations and the expenditure of €3 million in Paola Square, government failed to see that the intended aims of the project materialise. The same thing is happening in Għadira, were the works which were undertaken so that the Għadira road becomes one lane, government is now embarking on a further capital expense of €7 million to create a second lane.
The careless waste of our public funds lack of proper planning and huge inconveniences for such to materialie shows that who is approving these projects is more involved in an exercise in vanity whilst giving contracts to friends rather than implementing effective infrastructure which works in the long run. These are the most recent examples of hasty projects which are done to appease certain people.
And once these projects are completed, what guarantees do we have that our roads will not be re-dug up and redone just like at T’Alla u Ommu. What consultation exercises are being conducted, and do we really have competent people in infrastructure? All we’re seeing is a series of cosmetic exercises that keep requiring maintenance and redoing over and over again.
Public tenders should be awarded to competent persons so that infrastructural projects are executed and achieve the aims for which they were projected, with public funds being used judiciously. The country has had more than enough of greed, and incompetence is paid for dearly because instead of funds that are utilised to upgrade various other roads to make them more people friendly, money is being spent on the same four roads which had been recently redone, and this without any benefit to citizens, ended Gauci.
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Il-ħela ta’ flus f’infrastruttura bla ħsieb
F’konferenza stampa fil-pjazza ta’ Raħal Ġdid kelliema tal-ADPD-The Green Party sostnew li hemm bżonn li tieqaf il-ħela ta’ flus f’infrastruttura li ma tkunx ippjanata sew. Barra minn hekk għandu jkun hemm konsistenza fil-politika tal-gvern li min-naħa tħares biex tikkumbatti it-tibdil fil-klima u fl-istess waqt ma tarax kif jonqos it-traffiku li huwa kontributur ewlieni għat-tniġġis tal-arja, bil-konsegwenzi serji għas-saħħa magħrufin sew u ppruvati, kif ukoll ghall-impatti klimatiċi f’pajjiżna. Żvilupp tal-infrastruttura li ma jagħtix każ saħħet in-nies u tal-impatti klimatici hu ħela tar-riżorsi tal-pajjiż.
Id-Deputat Chairperson tal-ADPD Carmel Cacopardo qal li dak li seħħ fil-pjazza ta’ Raħal Ġdid huwa eżempju ċar ta’ kif b’nuqqas ta’ ippjanar jintefqu miljuni ta’ Ewro li mhux talli ma jwasslux għar-riżultat mixtieq, talli jwasslu għal degradazzjoni tal-istat oriġinali. Kulħadd jiftakar kif din il-pjazza kellha numru ta’ siġar f’nofsha li kien joffru kenn għal kull min kienu ikun qiegħed hawn. Meta is-siġar kienu tneħħew minflokom tpoġġew numru ta’ qsari fi proġett li sewa mat-€3 miljun.
Madankollu l-għan ewleni tal-proġett kien li il-pjazza ssir aktar aċċessibli għan-nies bil-pavimentar li kellu jinkoraġġixxi sewqan b’aktar galbu u inqas traffiku. Kien hemm ukoll l-intenzjoni li trakkijiet kbar ma jitħallewx jgħaddu: imma bid-devjazzjoni għall-proġett tal-Marsa dan kollu sar suf. Għalhekk ġejna fis-sitwazzjoni tal-lum fejn il-pavimentar qiegħed jitgħatta bl-asfalt u t-triq terġa’ tingħata mill-ġdid għal aktar traffiku.
It-tibdil li twettaq f’din il-pjazza, kif stqarr anke l-perit inkarigat mill-progett iktar kmieni din il-ġimgħa kien li n-nies jingħataw prijorità fuq it-traffiku. Dan il-ħsieb bażiku kien jiġġustifika t-tibdil li sar u li ttrasforma l-ispazju minn roundabout kbira għal pjazza għan-nies, u mhux għall-karozzi u mezzi kbar, jniġġsu serjament, l-arja fil-qalba ta’ Raħal Ġdid. Dan kien skop tajjeb li kien ukoll kompatibbli mal-miri tal-politika klimatika tal-Gvern, suppost.
X’jiswa li jintefqu flejjes kbar fi proġetti bħal dan u mbagħad il-proġett isir nofs leħja, għax ma jkunx użat kif imiss u kif ippjanat? Għalhekk hawn il-ħsara għax minkejja li kien ippjanat li jonqos it-traffiku minn din il-pjazza, dan ma seħħx, temm jgħid Cacopardo.
Iċ-Chairperson tal-ADPD Sandra Gauci qalet li in-nuqqas ta’ ħsieb u ta’ ippjanar fit-tul dwar dak li għandu x’jaqsam ma’ toroq wassal għal effetti komiċi, li kieku din iċ-ċajta kerha ma tkunx spiża li nħallsuha mit-taxxi tagħna. Wara l-ħafna pompa u ċerimonji u nfieq ta’ 3 miljun ewro fil-pjazza ta’ Raħal Ġdid u x-xogħol li kien sar biex it-triq tal-Għadira tkun one lane, biex issa biddlu l-ħsieb u se jintefqu 7 miljuni Ewro oħra biex tiġi 2 lane.
Dan it-tberbiq mill-flus tagħna, in-nuqqas ta’ ħsieb u l-inkonvenjent enormi sabiex dan ix-xogħol isir, juri kemm min japprova dawn ix-xogħolijiet iktar mehdi f’vanity projects li jagħtu l-kuntratti lill-ħbieb milli biex ikollna infrastruttura effettiva li taħdem u li tiffunzjona fit-tul. Dawn huma l-aktar eżempji riċenti ta’ kemm frott l-għaġġla biex inpaxxu lil ċertu nies lanqas biss qed naħsbu x’qed nagħmlu.
U la jsiru x’garanzija għandna li dawn it-toroq ma jerġgħux jitbiddlu u jitkissru bħalma qed jiġri f’T’Alla u Ommu? Kemm qed issir konsultazzjoni u kemm verament għandna nies li kapaċi fl-infrastruttura. Kulma qed naraw hija kisja icing fuq kejk imnawwar li wara ftit ikollu bżonn min jerga’ jduru.
It-tenders għandhom jingħataw lil nies kapaċi biex il-progetti jsiru u jintużaw għall-għan li ġew magħmulha u l-fondi pubblici jintużaw bil-galbu. Il-ħniżrijiet xebbgħu lin-nies u l-inkompetenza qed tiġina għolja bħala pajjiż fejn flok il-flus jintużaw biex jitranġaw toroq oħra biex isiru aktar ‘people-friendly’ qed nibqgħu nitfgħuhom fuq l-istess 4 toroq li kienu rranġaw riċentement bla ebda tgawdija miċ-ċittadini, temmet tgħid Gauci.
