Alternattiva Demokratika has reiterated its call for proper studies on the proposed Ghadira road to be made public.
Arnold Cassola, Alternattiva Demokratika – The Green Party Chairperson, stated that a report on the proposed review of the Ghadira Road options was drawn up by the ADT (Malta Transport Authority) in 2005, whilst a private report by a Mellieha hotelier was also drawn up in 2004.
“We are asking Minister Gatt to publish these reports in their entirety and not to quote selectively from them. It is absolutely irresponsible of the government to have done nothing about the TEN-T project in Ghadira for years and then to come up with a shotgun choice of deciding blindly on such a project within the space of six weeks, before the 31 December 2008 deadline.”
Prof. Cassola announced that Alternattiva Demokratika were accepting the invitation by Zminijietna – Lehen ix-Xellug to form part of a ‘Front for the safeguard of Ghadira.’
German Green MEP Michael Cramer also called for studies and reminded that, according to EU laws, public hearings are a must before such type of project can be approved. The Maltese government had not held any public hearings and by going ahead blindly with its plans it was risking ruining an EU protected area (Special Area of Conservation).
“The EU would not allow such thing, as it had clearly demonstrated by stopping the Via Baltica, which the Polish government had planned to go through SACs in Poland,” concluded Michael Cramer. Yvonne Ebejer Arqueros, Alternattiva Demokratika candidate for the European Parliament elections, added: “It is the duty of the Maltese authorities to act responsibly by safeguarding the nature reserve, Foresta 2000 and the Ghadira environment. What shall we leave future generations of Maltese if we continue acting in this unprofessional way of doing things?”