Urban Development and Roads Minister Jesmond Mugliett yesterday gave strict instructions to 22 roads contractors, that low-quality work, waste of time or sub-contracting will not be tolerated. Mr Mugliett was presiding over the drawing of lots for the assignment of work to be carried out on 70 residential roads – the first time-ever that the transport authority (ADT) has assigned so much work at one go as a result of the new period contract system, said the minister. He added that normally such a work load, amounting to Lm1.2 million, would have been assigned over an eight-month stretch.

He said the new system will allow for a radical change in the construction of residential roads and since it has attracted substantial interest, the ministry and the ADT had decided to assign work as soon as possible, so work on the roads would be able to start by mid-January.

The residential roads in 22 different localities which were assigned to contractors yesterday are listed in a leaflet that was published by the ministry last August; this specifies a work programme for 2006-2008 for the construction of 450 residential roads.

Yesterday’s drawing of lots means that more than a third of the mentioned programme is in the process of completion. Tenders were assigned for work to be carried out on another 100 residential roads during the past months.

Mr Mugliett said the fact that contractors have shown a strong interest in period contracts is a good sign for the completion of the work programme.

The call for expressions of interest also attracted a number of contracts that do not usually carry out this type of work.

“This shows that the main stakeholders are taking the work programme seriously. I have no doubt the contractors will be very good partners throughout the process of completion of work on the residential roads,” said the minister.

The government will not tolerate any waste of time or low-quality work, he insisted.

The mechanism by means of which the period contracts will be implemented will ensure that the work will be carried out as fast as possible and according to the pre-established standards.

Those who fail to do so will be excluded from the work programme, they will not be included in the next process leading to the construction of another group of roads, said Mr Mugliett.

The work assigned yesterday includes roads in Mtarfa, Safi and Siggiewi, which will soon be included in the list of localities where all the roads would have been resurfaced, so no more work will need to be carried out.

On the other hand, quite a large number of roads still need to be done up in localities like Zabbar, said Mr Mugliett.

The period contracts for work on residential roads were issued following agreements reached with the Federation of Industry (FOI) as regards rates that will be charged for such work.

A total of 19 lots valued at Lm60,000 each were offered, while another three lots were offered at a value of Lm33,000 each. These were drawn by lot in the presence of the 22 contractors who expressed an interest in the offers.

As a result of the period contracts system, the contractors are obliged to send foremen to attend courses in roads construction, which will be the second course of its type, after the first was organised earlier this year. The practical aspect of the course will include the reconstruction of part of Triq il-Kunsill ta’ l-Ewropa, limits of Fgura.

The deadline for work to be carried out on the residential roads varies between two and four months depending on the type of contract assigned.

While sub-contracting will not be allowed, if contractors would like to swap roads, they should inform the ADT by this week, as long as justifications are given for the need to swap, said Mr Mugliett.

The assignment of these contract is another crucial step in the process leading towards the implementation of the 2006-2008 residential roads work programme, the main aim of which is an improved quality of life for all those living in the roads that have been or that will be done up, stated the minister.