News | Sunday, 01 February 2009

PRINT THIS ARTICLE

Munxar residents get two-day consultation on fireworks factory

The Munxar local council is asking its residents for comments on a proposed fireworks factory, after MaltaToday reported mayor Joe Sultana saying he would not take a stand on the factory before discussing the issue with other councillors.
The factory is being proposed on an outside-development zone (ODZ) area known as Tas-Sanap, designated as a Special Protection Area and rural conservation zone.
The local council has however already missed a 21 December deadline to submit its objections to the firework factory to MEPA.
Only a few days ago, residents received a notice from the council, informing them that the council had started discussing the issue in a meeting held on 19 January. Residents were given up to 30 January to send their comments on this issue.
Although the notice was dated 22 January, a number of residents received it on 28 January – just two days before the deadline for comments expires.
“It seems that the council wants to wash its hands of this issue,” Michael Bajada, AD’s representative in Munxar, said.
Back in 1999, the Munxar council opposed the development of a fireworks factory on the same site. It collected a petition from Munxar residents opposing this development. The council said the factory posed a potential risk, referring to a huge fireworks factory explosion in the vicinity of the proposed site that killed two persons.
The application was turned down twice; first by the Development Control Commission, and than by the MEPA appeals aboard.
The construction of the factory was rejected because the path leading to the site could not cater for increased vehicular traffic, and because widening it would have had an adverse environmental impact on the area.
But then in 2007, the same path along Tas-Sanap’s picturesque cliffs was illegally widened and covered by a layer of concrete by the Munxar council.
Sultana denied any connection between the road and the fireworks factory application.

Any comments?
If you wish your comments to be published in our Letters pages please click button below.
Please write a contact number and a postal address where you may be contacted.