The Ramblers’ Association is concerned by the uncanny similarities, and some important (but difficult to understand) differences, between two environmental issues: the recent San Blas ‘beach-cleaning’ incident and the Marsalforn case, when on 9 March, early in the morning, voting day, concrete was poured on bare rock to form a platform on the sea’s edge.

Both cases involved business outlets, whose owners/operators denied any involvement in the wrongdoings. Both owners had cases of previous enforcement orders on their site.

In both cases the Ministry for Gozo was involved: at Marsalforn it took the initiative to remove the abusive concrete platform and at San Blas it sent heavy machinery to ‘clean up’ the beach following a request made by the business person concerned. Only that after the clean up a number of biggish rocks went missing.

The differences. The San Blas case is still being investigated and it seems that the businessperson will be arraigned. He was also prohibited from continuing to set up tables and chairs and therefore cannot serve food. So, who alerted the police and the Mepa or the MTA in this case?

In the Marsalforn case, the police were never asked to investigate and, though told to remove the tables and chairs, and served with an enforcement order, for this owner/operator it is still business as usual.

Our association will welcome attempts by anybody to explain these goings-on. Write to us on [email protected].

Ingram Bondin

Hon. Secretary

Ramblers' Association of Malta