Tree planted yesterday along Saqqajja road stolen during the night

An Aleppo Pine tree sapling planted by Infrastructure Malta along the Saqqajja road has been stolen, less than 24 hours after it was planted.

The saplings were planted by Infrastructure Malta yesterday in order to replace a number of trees which had been lost over the years due to bad weather.

Infrastructure Minister Ian Borg took to Facebook to vent his frustration.

“Less than 24 hours after we planted around 100 new Aleppo Pines at the Saqqajja Hill, some people saw fit to steal one of them,” Borg said, insisting that government would not be disheartened.

“We will plant another one, and hundreds more around the country.”

Infrastructure Malta said yesterday that “through the Central Link Project” it will be planting 539 indigenous trees.

The government has come under fire in recent months over a number of projects that have seen hundreds of trees uprooted or earmarked for uprooting.

Last month, thousands of people attended a protest along the same stretch of road, calling on government to respect people’s wishes and safeguard the country’s natural heritage.

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