Labour leader Alfred Sant called for a public inquiry yesterday on the work underway at the Manwel Dimech Bridge, an inquiry, which he said has to be conducted by a competent judge or magistrate.

In April 2004, the Nationalist newspaper In-Nazzjon had quoted the ADT saying that works on the Manwel Dimech Bridge were to commence in July of the same year.

However, a year and four months after this date, Minister Jesmond Mugliett announced in Parliament that work was to start in January 2006 and be completed by January 2007. Both dates were not kept.

In an interview with The Times in October 2006, Minister Mugliett had said that MEPA’s decision to extend working hours from 12 to 18 hours daily, seven days a week, had to help so that work would be completed even before the estimated date.

However, last May, it was announced that only 35 per cent of the projected work was complete, and the date was extended to 10 November.

Originally, the project had to cost Lm2 million, but it is now estimated that expenditure will total hundreds of thousands more.