Haz-Zebbug council bickers on Facebook over PN councillor’s road-patching

A photo of the Nationalist local councillor for Haz-Zebbug, George Cortis, laying a road in the village has been published on Facebook.

The council earlier this week denied that road-patching works had been carried out by Cortis, adding that the works were carried out by contractors following a publication of tenders.

Haz-Zebbug mayor Alfred Grixti (PL), when contacted, clarified that Cortis’s road-patching was carried out on his own initiative and that the council had not authorized him to do the patching.

Grixti said that the road itself was a new road in formation and that Transport Malta was responsible for its laying. “Whenever the council carries out roadworks, it does them with the authorisation of Transport Malta… it looks like that in the heat of the election, he personally did this out of his own initiative, but the council did not pay him.”

Grixti said that no action would be taken by the council on the fact that the councillor had unilaterally carried out roadworks on a public road.

The photo, published on Facebook, generated criticism from Labour councillor Catherine Sammut, who stated that Cortis had acted incorrectly “as well as minority leader [Roderick] Aquilina, for allowing Cortis to carry out this action. The necessary steps should be taken!”

On his part, Aquilina blamed Labour mayor Alfred Grixti, for allowing Cortis to proceed with the patching. “I don’t agree with this kind of slapdash work,” he replied to Sammut, “so don’t implicate me in these matters when you know that it is the mayor who is responsible for roadworks.”