The Qormi local council yesterday issued a statement reacting to comments made on Tuesday by Parliamentary Secretary Edwin Vassallo with regard to the fact that rubbish had piled up in areas at the Tal-Handaq industrial estate.

Mr Vassallo had said that the cleaning of the estate fell under the council’s responsibility. He accused the Labour-led council, of not doing its duty despite the funds allocated to it by the government for this purpose.

The council said that the responsibility for the clearing of the area in question cannot be placed on the local council as the council is not allocated funds for the purpose.

Furthermore, the funds for road sweeping for 2005-2006 have been cut by Lm664 over the 2003-2004 period.

The problem with illegal dumping of bulky objects should not be dealt with in this way, the council said. The fact is that people seem to prefer dumping objects outdoors than pay money to have them disposed of properly.

The council condemned such practices and the responsible authorities who leave owners of vacant plots in the liberty of not barricading them and in so doing providing an ideal spot for illegal dumping.