Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1471309
6 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 22 JUNE 2022 NEWS NEWS NICOLE MEILAK POLICE Commissioner Ange- lo Gafa will not testify before parliament's public accounts committee (PAC) on the Electrogas contract after gov- ernment MPs voted against a motion to have him appear as witness. Government MPs sitting on the committee argued that Ga- fa does not have to be brought to testify because it is beyond the committee's remit to delve into police investigations. Nationalist MPs wanted to bring Gafa as a witness to ask about police investigations in- to the controversial Electrogas contract. After a week of deadlock in the committee on whether the commissioner could be brought to testify, Nationalist MP David Agius requested a ruling from the Speaker of the House. The Speaker yesterday insist- ed that the committee should agree on each witness through consensus. If the members cannot agree on whether to bring a witness, the decision should be taken using a simple majority vote. With four government MPs and three Opposition MPs, any majority vote would play into the government's hands. The PAC is currently ex- amining the Auditor Gener- al's report on the Electrogas contract. The National Au- dit Office (NAO) expressed significant concern over the due diligence exercised in the tender process, noting that a last-minute Security of Sup- ply agreement included in the tender had "significantly re- duced" risk for final two bid- ders. Government MPs vote against calling Angelo Gafa to testify in parliament Electrogas probe Police Commissioner Angelo Gafa THE installation of more than 300 potable water dispensers by the Water Services Corporation has prevented the disposal of 814,300 plastic mineral water bottles, the corporation's annual report re- veals. In 2021, dispensers were installed in strategic lo- cations across the island including police stations, beaches, hospitals and schools in a bid to help re- duce plastic waste. In this way consumers can use the dispensers to fill reusable containers. The dispensers serve cold, filtered, high-quality potable water in a hygienic contact-free way. They provide still water at 20 cents per litre, or sparkling water at 40c a litre. This makes water from dispensers far cheaper than that sold from shops even if bottled water is still offered for free by supermarkets to consumers who spend more than a certain amount. "Let's remember every bottle saved is a bottle whose plastic raw material was not imported, blow-moulded using electricity, distributed using road transport, and disposed of and re-collected as waste. So we are justifiably proud of our contribu- tion to the environment," the report says. The WSC has already installed over 70 free water dispensers at Mater Dei Hospital, and, in collabo- ration with the Education Ministry, a further 150 free dispensers were installed in schools across the island. According to the corporation's annual report when fully operational the network of dispensers could potentially save Malta the equivalent of five million bottles each year. The dispensers are being installed as part of 'We Are Water' initiative. Water dispensers prevented more than 800,000 plastic bottles from going to waste Smart City carpark sees 11-floor development proposal AN 11-storey, mixed-use block for a hotel and residential units is being proposed on a site presently used as a temporary car park for the Smart City project, directly overlooking the low-rise and pic- turesque seaside locality of Xgħa- jra. The develoment will include both a hotel and a residential develop- ment of up to 128 units, covering a gross floor area of 37,000sq.m, split between 22,000sq.m for the hotel and 17,000sq.m for the apartments. The two plots had been already identified for development in the original Smart City permit of 2009. But residential development was previously excluded on this site in the project's original zon- ing for commercial development and a hotel. A comparison of plans indi- cates an increase in height over 2009 limits, from 48-58m, to 60m above sea level. The development is in close proximity to a proposed 13-sto- rey, 161-unit development pro- posed by Jason Mifsud's Elegant Homes. The two major develop- ments will be separated by a new ring road, also proposed by Smart City, which is still being assessed by the PA. Xgħajra presently has a popula- tion of less than 2,000 people. The develoment will include both a hotel and a residential development of up to 128 units "Let's remember every bottle saved is a bottle whose plastic raw material was not imported, blow-moulded using electricity, distributed using road transport, and disposed of and re-collected as waste."