One of the residents who lost their home in G’Mangia following excavation works next door has spoken to us earlier on today about the atrocious situation she and her family are going through right now.
After noticing some valuables have gone missing from what’s left of her house, she filed a report at the police station and was angrily told that she was “expecting too much.” Workers on the nearby construction site (works are ongoing, despite the risk of ulterior collapses) were not searched or interrogated about the matter because the police weren’t given the authority to do so. Returning to the site and asking for works to be halted until the police arrived, the architect appointed by the Courts phoned her up and told her that he was the only one who could give orders and told her “not to waste his time.” The residents’ architect was forbidden from carrying out onsite inspections; he will be allowed onsite tomorrow, after the contractor built a wall and poured concrete over the underlying rocks to hide the cracks.
“It seems the authorities are doing everything to appease those who want to make money, instead of helping out the citizens who have been stricken,” she told us.
On our part, we are disgusted at what is going on. It seems there’s no limit, not even the slightest hint of shame, when it comes to the construction industry. The authorities have let the storm subside before issuing a rushed, nonsensical reform and went on as if nothing had happened. The residents – some of whom have been homeless for two months – have been ignored by virtually everyone.
This is not right. And you people up there, you know this very well.
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L-UMILJAZZJONI
Waħda mir-residenti ta’ blokka fil-G’Mangia li spiċċaw bla dar minħabba xogħol ta’ skavar kellmitna aktar kmieni dalgħodu dwar is-sitwazzjoni tal-waħx li għaddejjin minnha hi u l-familjari tagħha.
Minbarra li ndunat li nsterqu xi oġġetti ta’ valur minn dak li fadal minn darha, meta għamlet rapport l-għassa ġiet milqugħa minn pulizija li rrabjaw magħha għax “qed tippretendi żżejjed.” Il-ħaddiema li hemm jaħdmu fuq is-sit biswit (minkejja r-riskju ta’ aktar ċedimenti fil-binja ta’ dawn ir-residenti) ma ġewx imfittxija jew interrogati dwar l-affarijiet li nsterqu mid-djar minħabba li l-pulizija stess ma ngħatawx l-awtorità jagħmlu dan. X’ħin ir-residenta marret lura fuq is-sit tal-kostruzzjoni u talbet li jieqaf ix-xogħol sakemm jaslu l-pulizija, il-perit tal-Qorti ċempel biex jgħidilha li “hu biss jagħti l-ordnijiet” u biex “ma taħlilux ħinu”. Il-perit ta’ dawn ir-residenti ma tħalliex jagħmel l-ispezzjonijiet tiegħu fuq il-post; se jitħalla biss jidħol għada wara li l-kuntrattur bena ħajt u tefa xi konkos fil-blat taħt il-bini, biex jgħatti x-xquq.
“Jidher li l-awtoritajiet qed jagħmlu minn kollox biex ipaxxu lil min qed jagħmel il-flus, u mhux liċ-ċittadini,” qaltilna.
Min-naħa tagħna, ninsabu ddiżgustati b’dan li għaddej, għax jidher li ma hemm ebda qiegħ, lanqas dak tal-mistħija, fejn tidħol l-industrija tal-kostruzzjoni. L-awtoritajiet taw ċans li kulħadd iħares f’direzzjoni oħra qabel ma ħarġu riforma ta’ bilfors, u komplew qisu ma ġara xejn. Ir-residenti li ntlaqtu – uħud minnhom ilhom kważi xahrejn barra minn djarhom – ġew injorati minn kulħadd.
Dan mhux sew. U intom t’hemm fuq, dan tafuh.
