Environment associations hold protest

di-ve.com

Gerald Fenech by Gerald Fenech - gerald@go.net.mt
Current Affairs -- 13 March 2010 -- 12:10CEST
A sudden downpour did not deter a good number of protestors who marched down City Gate and Republic Street this morning to protest against what they called environmental deficiencies and lack of good governance at MEPA

The rally was organised by the Ramblers Association, Flimkien ghall-Ambjent Ahjar, Friends of the Earth, BirdLife Malta, Nature Trust, Graffitti, Greenhouse and the Malta Organic and Agricultural Movement.

Various placards were held up with some strongly worded messages against the City Gate re-development project, in particular against the roofless theatre concept where some statements attacked architect Renzo Piano.

After a short march, the crowd was addressed by Tolga Temuge from Birdlife Lino Bugeja and Alex Vella from the Ramblers Association and Astrid Vella from FAA.

Mr Vella said that MEPA reform should include more effective measures for the protection of the environment.

He insisted that the law should be applied equally to everyone, including the powerful.

He said that abuse still took place on a daily places and castigated the issue of development permits which seemed to give short shrift to environmental concerns.

Ms Vella insisted that government should take note of the people's opposition to the roofless theatre concept at the Opera House site.

She also spoke on various threats to the environment, including rampant overdevelopment and air pollution.

Lino Bugeja said that the country needed ‘total and absolute reform’ to halt the ongoing rape of the environment.

He said that Malta could not afford to lose more of its countryside and coastal zones than it already had as this was fast disappearing with the country unrecognizable from what it used to be just a few years ago.

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