Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1130632
7 NEWS maltatoday | SUNDAY • 16 JUNE 2019 DAVID HUDSON THE families who resided in the Gwardamanga house whose wall partially collapsed earlier this week, will be accommodat- ed in four apartments provided by the Housing Authority. The families will be moving into their new temporary resi- dence on Monday, having been provided with accommodation in a hotel over the weekend. The partial collapse of the common wall between a con- struction site and a house on St Luke Road, left the families without a roof over their head. Resident Janet Walker, whose house was the most directly af- fected, said the house had been left without proper police secu- rity overnight. The Housing Authority said the families living in the Gwar- damanga apartments will be provided with temporary resi- dence until they can return to their homes when deemed safe. All the expenses for the pro- vided accommodation will be covered by the contractor in charge of the neighbouring site where the collapse occurred. The Parliamentary Secretariat for Social Accommodation said that it will continue to as- sess the case with the compe- tent authorities. Greens accuse Alternattiva Demokratika, the Green Party, yesterday said that all authorities regulating the construction industry, in- cluding the police, were deaf and powerless, allowing the most vulnerable people to be exposed to "terrifying situa- tions." "It is absolutely terrifying that all residents who have had their apartments collapse due to ad- jacent construction works had already warned the authorities. This is a stain on all those insti- tutions that the public has faith in. They knew but couldn't help or didn't help. It's terrify- ing that people approached the police and were told to employ a lawyer," AD chairperson Car- mal Cacopardo said. He said the fact that no fatali- ties had taken place as a result of the construction incidents, was not to the credit of the au- thorities which, though aware of the situations, had not acted in a timely way. "One of the residents in Gwardamanga, who had her apartment wall cave in, had predicted the situation based on mere observation. If a non- technical person said the build- ing would collapse, then what have the experts been doing?" Cacopardo asked. Cacopardo said the reason ac- cidents do not occur more fre- quently is because of dedicated operators and professionals in the building industry, not thanks to the passive authorities. "The building industry regula- tors generally act as simple let- terboxes: receiving reports and correspondence and rarely act- ing on the contents," Cacopardo said. He criticised the govern- ment's decision to suspend all demolitions and excavations until further notice, saying that such a "panic-stricken measure" proved that the authorities did not have the resources to carry out their responsibilities. "Nine months ago, a public consultation was launched spe- cifically to ensure that the ac- cidents of the past weeks are avoided as much as possible through a consolidation of the existing weak institutions," AD said, adding that in nine months the government had failed to take action. Architects and MDA meet The Chamber of Architects has now called an extraordinary general meeting to discuss the state of the construction indus- try. The purpose of the meeting is to update members on the developments of the past few weeks, the progress made on its public consultation docu- ment, closing talks with govern- ment about the updated Periti Act, and to consult on the draft regulations to be published on Monday following the tempo- rary suspension of demolition and excavation works. The Chamber is also hold- ing talks with various industry stakeholders about its reform proposals. It will be meeting the Malta Developers Association on Tuesday, 18 June. "The Kamra tal-Periti and the MDA have reached an un- derstanding that in this criti- cal juncture for the industry, it is important to converge towards a common position for the good of the country. Further meetings are also scheduled to take place with the Chamber of Engineers, the Chamber of Commerce, and the BICC," the Chamber said. "The events of the past weeks have thrown a spotlight on the industry as a whole, including on the profession, which, most certainly, has its own responsibilities to carry with regard to the cur- rent state of affairs, as do all the other operators involved. The issues we are facing are complex, and the fast pace of the industry is stretching re- sources beyond capacity, yet none of this justifies relaxa- tion of standards and lack of diligence." Gwardamanga families get new housing, Greens accuse powerless regulators Carmel Cacopardo (right) said the Maltese authorities were powerless in assisting common citizens against the excesses of the bulding industry