Person responsible for tree uprooting ‘rampage’ has to be identified, Democratic Party says

Environmental and heritage agencies are being ignored in the current spate of road works on major junctions the Democratic Party said.

It also called on “whoever is responsible for the tree uprooting rampage” and the decision to replace Maltese rubble and dry walls with pre-cast concrete blocks to “be identified”.

The PD was reacting to the current spate of works on major arteries, intended to ease traffic congestion by removing bottlenecks. Trees have been removed as part of the Marsa junction works and the widening of Valley Road in Balzan. More trees are slated to be removed for planned works on new tunnels below Santa Lucija roundabout and the Central Link project connecting the Mrieħel bypass to the foot of Saqqajja Hill.

“It is a sad fact that the Infrastructure Ministry and Transport Malta have bulldozed over ERA, the Plant Directorate, the Superintendence of Cultural Heritage, and the Lands Department when it comes to road re-building,” the PD lamented.

It said that certain trees were being sawn off and their stumps concealed “in the hope that the citizens would not notice that trees planted in the 1970s have disappeared”.

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The party said the ministry was bypassing protocols to study the environmental and heritage impacts of such works by taking recourse to the Emergency Roadworks Order.

“PD expects Environment Minister Jose Herrera and Justice Minister Owen Bonnici to speak up on the people’s behalf,” the party said.

It also called for all technical drawings of all road networks and links to be made available to the public by being tabled in Parliament, along with the cost benefit analysis of the different options.

“Citizens and NGOs need to be informed and listened to at the design level, even before the Planning Authority stage,” PD said.

The party flagged the spate of expropriations going on as a result of road widening exercises and asked whether proper procedures were being followed to the letter.

It insisted that the widening of roads was not going to solve traffic congestion and called for an end to prioritising private car dependence in transport planning.