Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1530515
7 gozotoday | FRIDAY • 13 DECEMBER 2024 NEWS Bethlehem f'Ghajnsielem - 2024 For more information visit our facebook page or call Għajnsielem Local Council on 21561515 /bethlehem.ghajnsielem GVERN TA' MALTA PARLIAMENTARY SECRETARIAT FOR LOCAL GOVERNMENT MINISTRY FOR GOZO AND PLANNING THE deteriorating state of Gozo's roads, especially res- idential ones, is a fact, the Nationalist Party's Gozo spokesman Alex Borg said in a statement. This isn't just acknowledged by Gozitans who regularly use these roads but also by Maltese residents and tourists visiting the island, he said. Now, even local newspapers are highlight- ing the disastrous condition of Gozo's roads. Borg noted that according to a report published this week, in the past seven years, fewer than 100 roads in Gozo have been worked on, despite the Labour Party's 2017 electoral promise to invest €700 mil- lion to repair all of Malta's and Gozo's roads. While 1,400 roads in Mal- ta were resurfaced from 2018 onward, only 83 roads in Gozo received similar treatment. In many cases, these were not newly built roads but ones that underwent partial repairs. Roadworks in Gozo are not managed by Infrastructure Malta, as is the case in Mal- ta, but fall directly under the Ministry for Gozo, under Clint Camilleri. It should be noted that in re- cent years, every budget has shown a substantial decrease in capital investment, particu- larly in road infrastructure, except for 2022 – the election year – when there was a mini- mal increase. Since then, capital invest- ment has dropped below 2013 levels. "When inflation and rising construction costs are fac- tored in, it becomes evident that Gozo has not only been neglected but completely for- gotten" Borg said. "Infrastructure is the back- bone of Gozo's economic and tourism sectors. If the founda- tion is weak, everything starts to decline gradually." Borg said the PN is commit- ted to working in coordina- tion with Gozo's local councils to identify and carry out the necessary roadworks, ensur- ing that Gozo no longer lags behind in basic infrastructure that determines the quality of life for its residents and visi- tors. "Unlike the Labour Govern- ment, for the PN, building new roads and improving the exist- ing road network in Gozo will be a top priority," he said. PN raises eyebrows on state of Gozo's roads