In a press conference on Saturday in Pietà, speakers for ADPD – The Green Party spoke about the need for action in the construction sector after another fatality on a construction site.

The ADPD candidate for the Pietà local council, Janet Walker, who was also a victim of construction activity that left her homeless, appealed for owners of derelict buildings to repair any damage that may pose serious risks to the health and safety of residents and passers-by.   Such repairs must be performed immediately as delays may lead to people suffering the consequences of an incompetent construction industry.

She called for the need for public projects in Pieta to be addressed immediately, such as the passageway leading from St Luke’s Hospital to the local primary school, which should be safe for users, appealing for the installation of barricades to prevent any potential accidents.  In addition, the roundabout project opposite St Luke’s Hospital should not be delayed any further, including the installation of a public convenience.

Zahra Walker also called for better access to pavements, which should have ramps for accessibility and free from any steps hindering mobility.  Open spaces should be maintained on a regular basis, including playgrounds.  In addition, there is the need for more streetlights along the coast, better pavements and cleaner streets.

“There is the need for Pietà to have a new council that urgently takes action on such needs, and I am ready to work for this,” concluded Zahra Walker.

ADPD Chairperson Sandra Gauci said that after the tragic death of another worker on a construction site in Sliema, the Prime Minister announced that calls are open for more inspectors for inspections on construction sites.  “This was something that he was well aware of but chose to ignore the problem.  Now because there is another death on his hands, he has decided to do something. And just a couple of days ago another serious incident happened in Floriana where the roof of a residence caved in. A family can count themselves as lucky because they had decided to move to another place pending the construction works next door.

The resignation of Jesmond Muscat, the CEO of the Building and Construction Authority, after the tragic death of Bari Balla appears to be simply in reaction to what has happened.  Taking the Jean Paul Sofia public inquiry, whereby the State was found to be guilty, it appears that the state is far from showing any remorse or the will to change things.  The cowboys in the construction sector are still with us and the sense of impunity and zero-enforcement are still evident.  If this accident had not happened, would anybody have known that these works were not covered by a permit? I have my reservations.

Despite the resignations in the wake of the Sofia public inquiry, the problems are still there and those who have appointed these people in the first place are those that are truly responsible.  Until Ministers Stefan Zrinzo Azzopardi, Silvio Schembri and Miriam Dalli resign, the resignations of these CEOs are only a public relations exercise to maintain a public image with no substance to back this up.  We have ministers for salaries and ribbon-cutting events, but they are not accountable for their actions and their choices.   There is the need for political maturity and for them to resign to show that they are equal to use and not above us.

When you have bricks falling on cars parked along streets, such as what happened in Buġibba, one perceives that this is the result of incompetence and not just some random incident.  When you see an elderly person, out of desperation, taking the law into his hands following the collapse of his home due to adjoining construction works, you know that the people have been pushed to their limits.  Whilst violence is never the solution, one can feel the sense of abandonment that victims of construction feel when seeking assistance from institutions for protection, just like what ADPD candidate for Pieta Janet Zahra Walker felt.  Enough with the usual excuses ‘It’s not anybody’s fault.  It’s not his job.  No one is responsible.’  We want accountability.

ADPD candidate for the European Parliament Mina Jack Tolu mentioned that the public inquiry into the death of Jean Paul Sofia was only opened after considerable pressure from civil society.  He said it was now time for local councils to take responsibility for the safety of buildings in their locality. “Local councils should be given the necessary funds for buildings and properties to be surveyed, and owners of derelict and abandoned buildings posing health and safety hazards to passers-by should be required to keep such properties in good condition.

Unfortunately, it is clear that we have learnt nothing from the Sofia public inquiry because not a week passes by without an incident in the construction industry, and one of the latest has resulted in a fatality.  There is the need for urgent action in the construction sector and not a fake exercise pretending that something is being done,” concluded Tolu.

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Hemm bżonn ta’ azzjonijiet urġenti fil-qasam tal-kostruzzjoni

F’konferenza stampa Tal-Pietà is-Sibt kelliema tal-ADPD-The Green Party tkellmu dwar il-ħtieġa ta’ azzjoni urġenti fil-qasam tal-kostruzzjoni wara li għal darba oħra kien hemm vittma fuq sit tal-bini.

Il-kandidata tal-ADPD għall-kunsill lokali ta’ Tal-Pietà Janet Zahra Walker li hija ukoll kienet vittma ta’ kostruzzjoni li ħallietha bla dar fejn tgħix, talbet biex is-sidien ta’ bini abbandunat li huwa ta’ riskju għandhom jiġu mġiegħla jirranġaw il-ħsarat li jagħmlu u jiżguraw is-sigurtà taċ-ċittadin li jkun għaddej b’ħajtu għall-kwiet. It-tiswijiet meħtieġa għandhom isiru immedjatament. M’għandux jitħalla żmien twil jistennew isofru tort tal-inkompetenza tal-industrija tal-kostruzzjoni

Kompliet tidħaq ukoll fuq aktar sigurtà fit-toroq. Hija sejjħet biex il-passaġġ preżenti li jgħaddi mill-isptar San Luqa għall-iskola primarja għandu jkun iktar sikur u jiġu installati barrikati biex tiġi evitata xi disgrazzja. Għandu jitlesta l-proġett li kien mibdi snin ilu fir-roundabout quddiem l-Isptar San Luqa, inkluż bl-installazzjoni ta’ latrina pubblika.

Talbet għal aċċess aħjar b’bankini li għandhom ikunu ħielsa minn turġien u jkollhom rampi għall- aċċessibilità. Spazji miftuħa għandhom jinżammu fi stat tajjeb b’manutenzjoni regolari, inkluż il-bandli. Hemm bżonn iktar dawl fix-xatt u t-tindif fit-toroq u l-bankini għandu jittieħed bis-serjetà.

“Hemm bżonn li l-kunsill il-ġdid f’Tal-Pieta’ jagħti każ dawn l-affarijiet b’mod urġenti u jiena lesta li nagħti sehmi,” temmet tgħid Zahra Walker.

Iċ-Chairperson tal-ADPD Sandra Gauci qalet li wara l-mewt traġika ta’ ħaddiem ieħor fuq sit ta’ kostruzzjoni, din id-darba f’Tas-Sliema il-Prim Ministru ħabbar li se jiftħu s-sejħiet biex ikun hemm aktar spetturi fuq il-post tax-xogħol. Din hija xi ħaġa li kien jaf li kien hemm minn qabel imma li għażel li jinjora u issa biss għax għandu mejjet fuq idejh iddeċieda li jagħmel xi ħaġa. Mhux hekk biss, imma fil-Floriana sfronda saqaf, bil-familja li tgħix biswit is-sit teħlisha b’ċikka għax iddeċidew li jmorru joqgħodu post ieħor sakemm titlesta l-kostruzzjoni.

Ir-riżenja tas-CEO tal-Building and Construction Authority Jesmond Muscat wara l-mewt traġika ta’ Bari Balla tidher biss miżura reattiva għal dak li ġara u li mill-inkjesta pubblika ta’ Jean Paul Sofia fejn l-istat instab ħati, l-istat mhux juri la indiema u lanqas ħeġġa li jinbidel. Il-cowboys fil-kostruzzjoni għadhom magħna u s-sens ta’ impunità u żero infurzar hemm għadu. Li kieku dan il-ħaddiem ma mietx kien jinduna xi ħadd li dan ix-xogħol kien qiegħed isir bla permess? Għandi r-riżervi tiegħi.

Wara l-ħafna nies li ġew imġiegħla jirriżenjaw wara l-inkjesta pubblika ta’ Sofia xorta l-problema għadha hemm u l-veru responsabbli li appuntaw lil dawn in-nies għadhom għaddejjin qisu xejn mhu xejn. Sakemm il-Ministri Stefan Zrinzo Azzopardi, Silvio Schembri u Miriam Dalli jirriżenjaw, dawn ir-rizenji ta’ CEOs jidhru biss bħala PR biex tibża’ għall-image u sugu ta xejn. Għandna ministri għall-pagi u qtugħ ta’ żigarelli iżda ma humiex hemm għal-kontabilità ta’ għemilhom u tal-għażliet tagħhom. Hemm bżonn juru l-maturità politika u jirriżenjaw biex juru li quddiem il-liġi huma daqsna u mhux ‘il fuq minna.

Meta jkollok bricks li jaqgħu fuq karozzi pparkjati bħalma ġara Buġibba d-dubji li dawn mhux inċidenti imma frott l-inkompetenza hemm jibqgħu. Li jkollok anzjan f’Bormla li frott l-iddisprament li jara d-dar tiegħu tiġġarraf minħabba xogħol biswit id-dar tiegħu u jieħu l-liġi f ‘idejh, turi kemm n-nies waslu fix-xifer. Filwaqt li l-vjolenza qatt ma hi soluzzjoni warajh hemm dak is-sens ta’ abbandun li vittma tal-kostruzzjoni jħoss meta jdur lejn l-istituzzjonijiet għal xi forma ta’ faraġ jew protezzjoni – bħalma għaddiet minnu il-kandidata tal-ADPD għall-kunsill lokali f’Tal-Pieta Janet Zahra Walker. Ħadd m’hu hu. Ħadd m’hu xogħolu. Ħadd m’hu responsabbli. Aħna rridu l-kontabilità.

Il-kandidat tal-ADPD għal Parlament Ewropew, Mina Jack Tolu, semma’ li kien biss wara ħafna pressjoni mis-soċjetà ċivili li saret inkjesta dwar il-qtil ta’ Jean Paul Sofia. Huwa qal li wasal iż-żmien li anke il-kunsilli lokali jkollhom responsabbilta’ fejn tidħol is-sigurtà tal-bini fil-lokalita’ tagħhom. Għandhom jingħataw il-fondi neċessarji biex propjetajiet jiġu sorveljati u s-sidien ta’ bini abbandunat jew oħrajn li huma ta’ periklu għal min ikun għaddej fit-toroq u minn fuq il-bankini jintalbu biex iżommuhom fi stat tajjeb.

“Għaliex sfortunatament jidher ċar li mill-inkjesta dwar il-qtil ta’ Jean Paul Sofia ma tgħallimna xejn għaliex tista’ tgħid li ma tgħaddix ġimgħa li ma jkollniex xi inċident fl-industrija tal-kostruzzjoni, l-aħħar wieħed jerġa’ jkun fatali. Hemm bżonn azzjoni urġenti fil-qasam tal-kostruzzjoni u mhux eżerċizzju finta biex taparsi nkunu qegħdin nagħmlu xi ħaġa,” temm jgħid Tolu.