Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1519405
application in 2017. It also com- missioned German and Italian consultants to study and perform a plant safety analysis, which documentation is available on the PA's website. Enemed said the company al- so installed carbon filters on the tanks to control emissions. "Safety is a top priority for Enemed. Responsible for con- trolling major accident haz- ards, the COMAH authority, continues to conduct annual inspections, while the CPD conducts periodical training," the company said. Residents deceived by false promises Back in 2017, the Luqa lo- cal council did not object to the development and resi- dents were subsequently re- assured by ministers Konrad Mizzi and Silvio Schembri, who is the mayor's son, that they had nothing to worry about. Residents were promised a boundary wall between the residential area and the storage facility, cladding and landscaping to minimise the visual impact, the con- struction of a solar farm that would enable residents to receive monetary compen- sation. None of these pledges were kept and it is only now that Enemed has filed a planning application to construct a screening structure. It is of little consolation for residents that former prime minister Joseph Muscat con- siders the construction of the unsightly fuel tanks bang in their face as one of his government's regrets. 'Oh, my God, what have we done' In an interview with Karl Bonaci on F Living, a TV sta- tion, on 1 February this year, Muscat said he is shaken by the sight of the tanks every time he passes through Ħal Farruġ. "People wrote to me after the tanks were built… they are very close to people's apartments and when I vis- ited, I said to myself 'Oh, my God, what have we done here'," Muscat said, adding it was one of his regrets. "I had gone to speak to the people of Ħal Farruġ and said I un- derstood them if they chose not to vote [because of the fuel tanks]. I was angry with myself on the day. The min- ister responsible had not done it on purpose, the in- tention was good, although I still gave him a dressing down and told him some- thing like this is not on." Muscat's words now are meaningless but go some way to justify the anger and frustration residents of Ħal Farruġ feel at being ignored all these years despite gov- ernment assurances they will be compensated, and mitigation measures will be put in place. 11 NEWS maltatoday | SUNDAY • 21 APRIL 2024 EEKhEDEdK&>>&KZWZK:dWZKWK^>^;^hWWKZd/E's/d/D^K&,hDEdZ&&/hD͕D/'Zd/KEΘ/Ed'Zd/KE&hEϮϬϮϭͲϮϬϮϳ dŚĞDŝŶŝƐƚƌLJƌĞƐƉŽŶƐŝďůĞĨŽƌƵƌŽƉĞĂŶ&ƵŶĚƐǁŽƵůĚůŝŬĞƚŽĂŶŶŽƵŶĐĞƚŚĂƚŝƚŝƐŚĂƐůĂƵŶĐŚĞĚĂĐĂůůĨŽƌƉƌŽũĞĐƚ ƉƌŽƉŽƐĂůƐŝŶƚŚĞĨŽůůŽǁŝŶŐĂƌĞĂ͗ ^ƉĞĐŝĨŝĐKďũĞĐƚŝǀĞϮ͗^ƚƌĞŶŐƚŚĞŶŝŶŐĂŶĚĚĞǀĞůŽƉŝŶŐůĞŐĂůŵŝŐƌĂƚŝŽŶƚŽƚŚĞDĞŵďĞƌ^ƚĂƚĞƐŝŶ ĂĐĐŽƌĚĂŶĐĞǁŝƚŚƚŚĞŝƌĞĐŽŶŽŵŝĐĂŶĚƐŽĐŝĂůŶĞĞĚƐ͕ƉƌŽŵŽƚŝŶŐĂŶĚĐŽŶƚƌŝďƵƚŝŶŐƚŽƚŚĞĞĨĨĞĐƚŝǀĞ ŝŶƚĞŐƌĂƚŝŽŶĂŶĚƐŽĐŝĂůŝŶĐůƵƐŝŽŶŽĨƚŚŝƌĚĐŽƵŶƚƌLJŶĂƚŝŽŶĂůƐ͘ dŚĞĐĂůůǁŝůůĐůŽƐĞŽŶϭϱ ƚŚ :ƵůLJϮϬϮϰĂƚŶŽŽŶ͘ dŚĞŽŶůŝŶĞĂƉƉůŝĐĂƚŝŽŶĨŽƌŵĨŽƌƚŚĞƐƵďŵŝƐƐŝŽŶŽĨƉƌŽũĞĐƚƉƌŽƉŽƐĂůƐĂŶĚƐƵƉƉŽƌƚŝŶŐĚŽĐƵŵĞŶƚĂƚŝŽŶĂƌĞĂǀĂŝůĂďůĞŽŶ ŚƚƚƉƐ͗ͬͬĨŽŶĚŝ͘ĞƵͬǁŚĂƚͲĨƵŶĚŝŶŐͲŝƐͲĂǀĂŝůĂďůĞͬ͘ WƌŽƐƉĞĐƚŝǀĞƉƉůŝĐĂŶƚƐĂƌĞĞŶĐŽƵƌĂŐĞĚƚŽƌĞĨĞƌƚŽƚŚĞƐLJůƵŵ͕DŝŐƌĂƚŝŽŶΘ/ŶƚĞŐƌĂƚŝŽŶ&ƵŶĚ;D/&ͿWƌŽŐƌĂŵŵĞĂŶĚ ƚŚĞůŝŐŝďŝůŝƚLJ'ƵŝĚĂŶĐĞEŽƚĞƐŝŶŽƌĚĞƌƚŽĐŚĞĐŬǁŚĞƚŚĞƌƚŚĞŝƌƉƌŽƉŽƐĂůƐĂƌĞĞůŝŐŝďůĞĨŽƌĨƵŶĚŝŶŐƚŚƌŽƵŐŚƚŚŝƐĐĂůůĨŽƌ ƉƌŽũĞĐƚƉƌŽƉŽƐĂůƐ͘ &ƵƌƚŚĞƌŝŶĨŽƌŵĂƚŝŽŶŽŶƚŚŝƐĐĂůůĂŶĚŽŶƚŚĞ ƐLJůƵŵ͕DŝŐƌĂƚŝŽŶΘ/ŶƚĞŐƌĂƚŝŽŶ&ƵŶĚŵĂLJďĞŽďƚĂŝŶĞĚĨƌŽŵ ŚƚƚƉƐ͗ͬͬĨŽŶĚŝ͘ĞƵͬ͘ŶLJƋƵĞƌLJƐŚŽƵůĚďĞƐĞŶƚďLJĞŵĂŝůŽŶĨŽŶĚŝ͘ĞƵΛŐŽǀ͘ŵƚ͘ ĚĞĚŝĐĂƚĞĚŝŶĨŽƌŵĂƚŝŽŶƐĞƐƐŝŽŶŝƐďĞŝŶŐŽƌŐĂŶŝƐĞĚŽŶDŽŶĚĂLJϮϵ ƚŚ Ɖƌŝů͕ϮϬϮϰĨƌŽŵϬϵ͗ϬϬƚŝůůϭϭ͗ϬϬ͕ĂƚdŚĞKĂŬƐ Business Centre, Farsons Street, Ħamrun͘ZĞŐŝƐƚƌĂƚŝŽŶĨŽƌƚŚĞŝŶĨŽƌŵĂƚŝŽŶƐĞƐƐŝŽŶĐĂŶďĞĚŽŶĞďLJƐĐĂŶŶŝŶŐƚŚĞďĞůŽǁ YZĐŽĚĞ͘ false promises and Muscat's regret Back in 2019, Luqa mayor John Schembri made a number of pledges to residents which were, however, never kept Aerial view of the fuel tanks with residential buildings in the foreground