Valletta mayor slams government for ignoring capital city

Valletta Nationalist mayor Alexiei Dingli criticised the government for not acting on all its promises to prepare the city for 2018 when it will be named European Capital of Culture.

“Although the government has long promised to arrange the pavements in the city, no such works have started yet,” Dingli told Sunday newspaper ILLUM. “Valletta’s lighting must be completely replaced too. I’m worried that it is already too late to finish these projects on time. Unfortunately, it is clear that Valletta’s needs are falling on deaf ears.”

Dingli also accused the government of ignoring the local council’s proposals to solve the city’s parking problem.

“We sent our proposals to Transport Minister Joe Mizzi a year and a half ago and have heard nothing about them since,” Dingli said, adding that one of the council’s proposals was to get rid of the reserved parking spaces for ministries and government departments.

However, Dingli is pleased with other ongoing Valletta projects such as the new Valletta entrance and the new Parliament.

“The Parliament building will be the first contemporary building in Valletta,” Dingli said. “It is important to show people that Valletta is not only a museum but a thriving city.  A Valletta that respects its history but also a modern, European city.”

Read the full interview in Sunday’s edition of ILLUM.