Ombudsman reprimands Infrastructure Malta over controversial Dingli roadworks

Controversial roadworks carried out by Infrastructure Malta in Dingli earlier this year were contracted five months before they were authorised by Transport Malta, the Ombudsman said.

The works to connect a couple of backstreets by building a new road across arable land had also started before a commencement notice to the Environment and Resources Authority was filed for the uprooting of trees.

The works led to a tense stand-off with Moviment Graffitti activists and environmentalists, who blocked machinery and camped on site for three weeks. The works were eventually carried out after IM altered its plans.

The findings form part of an investigation carried out by Environment Commissioner Alan Saliba upon a complaint by Nationalist Party Whip Robert Cutajar.

Saliba also noted that an IM contractor had entered private land before it was expropriated.

The environment Ombudsman said that although the roads in question had long been planned, there was little information about when works actually had to start. 

Saliba called for a one-stop shop, first proposed by him in 2019, to keep track of environmental issues and keep citizens and public entities informed.

“When a citizen does not see anything listed on the PA’s website, they expect that nothing is going to happen,” Saliba said. “While the PA’s site is a good information centre, it should not only cater to permits concerning the PA but other works as well, including environmental ones, roadworks, as well as issues which impact cultural heritage.”

He added that such a platform would serve to reduce bureaucracy, with people being able to deal with the state directly, rather than separate entities.

In his conclusions, Saliba said that observing the letter of the law on planning matters should be the order of the day.

“We don’t need recommendations for everybody to obey the rules, this should be the order of the day, particularly from government entities that should serve as an example to citizens,” he said.