Valletta monti relocating to Ordnance Street ‘in the coming weeks’

The much-awaited relocation of the Valletta monti from Merchants Street to Ordnance Street is set to take place in the coming weeks, bringing to an end a saga that has been going on for years.

In the first of a series of listening sessions organized by the government, Economy Minister Chris Cardona confirmed that the relocation will be taking place “in the coming weeks” and inspectors will be deployed regularly to ensure that the new market zone is left clean.

The inspections will also ensure that no unlicensed hawkers attempt to make use of the monti stalls.

As part on the new design, the hawkers will have new stalls. The number of hawkers has been halved, after a number of hawkers accepted the government’s offer of €80,000 to move out.

“It was a tough decision and we’re finally at the end of what had become a saga,” Cardona told his listeners.

The minister insisted that the government had moved on taking a decision, in the interest of the hawkers themselves and the shop owners who complained of the hawkers’ presence outside their doorstep.

“The previous administration feared taking a decision; we did not,” he said, adding that the government also wanted to ensure the living of some 90 families.

Public opinion, he added, had never been in favour of the monti hawkers but it had been government’s responsibility to feel the need to protect the hawkers and their families.

Cardona said the “serene” relocation of the hawkers will be in the coming weeks, whilst the government had made it clear that the market should be left clean.

“I was clear that I will not tolerate a low-quality service,” the minister said, adding that the government’s support was given after the hawkers committed themselves to respecting the agreement.

Asked about the possibility of ‘floating islands’, Cardona said there should be a balance between what is aesthetically acceptable, what the Maltese find as acceptable, its social impact and the environmental impact.

“I can’t give you a direct answer because studies are underway. The government is also looking at land reclamation and its environmental impact. What I believe is that the government shouldn’t fear such projects. There should not be political interference, however, and all the necessary studies should first take place,” the minister said.

According to Cardona, the government received such proposals on a regular basis.