The news that the Hondoq quay repair saga seems to have come to an end is welcome news for everyone especially the people who enjoy using the area so much. The Gatt brothers did a good job and as I said before they are to be congratulated, but it now appears that Hondoq has another problem.
I was with friends last night who have just returned from a holiday in Gozo and I had particularly asked them to pay a visit to Hondoq and take some photographs for me. I have included one of these photographs with this letter. It shows plastic deck chairs, umbrellas, signs for boat trips etc all over the area, which has just been repaired.
What doesn’t show in this photo but which my friends have told me about is a speedboat moored at the area of quay, which was repaired and big signs on the railings for boat trips to Comino, which obstruct the view. So where has all this clutter come from? Well it belongs to the people who run the kiosk at Hondoq. I’m told that at night the area around the kiosk contains several boats a caravan, canoes, banana boats, vans, cars etc. Now I know this person is trying to make a living here but when it gets to the stage that it is taking over the whole area then it becomes a problem.
My friends asked some people in the area if he was allowed to do this and were told that he didn’t have a license and had been told by the Qala Mayor to remove the items from the quay. Apparently he tried to set up his deck chairs and umbrellas on the beach but the guy who already does this on the beach threw him off. Actually the guy who threw him off the beach doesn’t have a license either!
They were also told that a lot of people were bringing caravans down to the bay, which were taking, up a lot of space. It seems that every person with a caravan stakes out their own little territory, which they seem to think is their personal property. Actually one of the guys who plonks his caravan in the area is from Qala, a big supporter of the developers who want to destroy the area and is campaigning day and night for the Qala creek project! Someone should point out to him that where he puts his caravan would be under water if the marina goes ahead.
I think it’s time that the ministry first of all come clean regarding their intentions for the Hondoq area. The Minister for Gozo has in the past shown her support for this environmental rape project. Is this still the case or is she going to throw her weight behind the people she is supposed to be representing? It is also time that the ministry took the area back for the people as it is obvious that what is happening there now is becoming abusive. The Maltese have a saying that you offer someone a finger and they take the whole hand, which seems very appropriate in this case.
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