14 - 20 September 2000

Lack of funds hindering council's work in Paceville

by David Kelleher

One of the main problems that has held back the local council from carrying out necessary works in Paceville is the lack of funds, the permanent secretary at the Ministry of Tourism told The Malta Business Weekly.

"This was made very clear during an inter-ministerial committee meeting held on Tuesday during which the problems in Paceville were discussed," Louis P. Naudi said. "It was evident that the local council does not have the necessary funds to carry out the necessary works.

"It is for this reason that a sub-committee composed of representatives from the Ministry, MTA, Ministry for the Environment, local council, the MHRA and GRTU, has been set up to prepare a report on what has to be done in the locality," Mr Naudi told The Malta Business Weekly.

He said that the meeting was very positive and they had agreed on a number of issues and what had to be done.

Contacted yesterday, the President of the GRTU's hospitality and leisure division, Philip Fenech, agreed that the meeting was positive and various issues had been discussed.

"Following the press walkabout we organised a couple of weeks ago, during which we highlighted the fact that Paceville is busy throughout the day and not only at night or over the weekend, Tuesday's meeting served to raise those issues that we feel have to be addressed," Mr Fenech said.

He said that the three main areas that required immediate attention were the roads, the need for more cleanliness and public conveniences. "While certain areas of Paceville are well-kept because they were developed by the private sector, the roads and other amenities are ignored.

"There has to be harmony in the locality but this will only come about if the whole locality is integrated into one," Mr Fenech said.

He said that the GRTU had put forward a number of proposals and that the aim was to reach the highest standards possible for the locality.

With regards to the committee, Mr Fenech said the structure was very good because it comprised all those people who matter and who had to be consulted. "What is important now is that we work step by step but we have to move. The GRTU and the other bodies working to improve Paceville will be giving our input for the report to be drawn up," he said.

On a positive note, Mr Fenech said: "We feel that the structure is there to move forward. Our members feel that these problems are long overdue. We hope that although philosophical debates are important to establish a vision, we augur that positive results will come out of these meetings as soon as possible."