From Mr A. Camilleri

The Environment Ministry published in The Times of 3 October the long-awaited Construction Site Management Regulations, which will come into force on 1 November. However, there is nearly nothing to safeguard victimised neighbours who might suffer death, injuries or damages to their dear ones or to their homes and possessions.

Ironically, while the Environment Minister advises victims of demolition/reconstruction sites to go to court, at unaffordable expense, thereby increasing the number of court cases, another Minister works hard to reduce the workload at the Law Courts.

When compiling these belated regulations, the Environment Minister should have taken a leaf from a recent Court of Appeal judgement (Times, 29 September) where the learned judge found for the victimised neighbour and condemned the developer to two months jail suspended for four years and ordered him to repair the damages caused within six months; I mean exactly the part that ordered the guilty developer to repair the damages caused, if the Minister sincerely and really meant to “afford them the highest degree of protection” (Times, 30 April).

Knowing that nowadays there is more redevelopment, that is, there is more harmful demolition that contributes appreciably to the general environmental degradation and neighbourhood damage, not to say death and injuries, the Minister took greater care of broken pavements (bank guarantee) rather than hard-done-by neighbours. Unlike the Environment Minister, I believe in “what is sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander” and people like me, and there are many, are bound to suffer immeasurably, mentally and materially, for want of a dutiful helping hand by the responsible minister.

Minister G. Pullicino’s striking revolving earth (directionally awry) fountain in Sliema may have hit the headlines and contractors may claim that they are the mainstay of the economy – perhaps also of the large political parties – but a democratic government normally cries out for the fullest protection of innocent victims, not only for broken pavements. Our politicians do not seem to realise that you cannot run with the hare and hunt with the hounds.

One trusts that is not a harbinger of things to come.

Albert Camilleri

SLIEMA