Twelve Nadur farmers have filed for a warrant for a prohibitory injunction against Nadur parish priest Dun Salv Muscat to stop the construction of a massive 600-grave cemetery in the countryside around Ramla l-Hamra.
Magistrate Anthony Ellul has temporarily upheld the injunction presented by lawyer Leslie Cuschieri. Works are expected to stop as soon as the parish priest is notified of the court’s decree.
The farmers contend they irrigate their crops through natural springs originating from the area where the cemetery will be developed, and say that if works go ahead, the springs would be polluted.
“Without the continuous supply of this pure water, the land will cease to be fertile and will die,” the farmers said, presenting a detailed report by architect Guido Vella to justify their claims.
Despite the farmers’ protests, excavation works on the new cemetery have been in full swing for the past month. The developers were given five days to reply to the case presented by the farmers and an architect was appointed by the courts to investigate.
The cemetery was approved by the Malta Environment and Planning Authority despite the negative recommendations of the MEPA directorate and heritage advisory board.
Following reports filed by Alternattiva Demokratika (AD), the European Commission is now investigating the government for a possible breach of EU rules on Environment Impact Assessments (EIA).
When MEPA issued an outline application for the development of the cemetery in 2003, the case officer argued that an EIA was not required because the cemetery was “objectionable in principle”, and should not be developed.
After ignoring the case officer’s advice to turn down the permit, MEPA never requested the developers to conduct an EIA and a full permit was issued in October 2006.
AD renewed its appeal for a voluntary withdrawal of the cemetery proposal and expressed its regret that the farmers had to go to court to stop the development. “We regret that Christians have to take their own church to Court to defend their livelihood.”
In March more than 450 farmers signed a petition asking Gozitan Bishop Mario Grech to halt the development, but the petition has been ignored.

 

Links: www.maltatoday.com.mt/2007/04/01/t4.html