Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1537589
GozoToday is a weekly newspaper focused primarily on Gozo. It hopes to serve as a source of information on business, culture, entertainment and of course current affairs. Gozo has a special charm about it but it is also a bustling Island with an identity of its own. GozoToday is published every Friday and is available to numerous outlets in Gozo and on the ferries that carry so many visitors to Gozo from Malta and beyond. GozoToday MediaToday Co. Ltd, Vjal ir-Rihan San Gwann SGN 9016 ASSISTANT EDITOR: LAURA CALLEJA Tel: (356) 21 382741-3, 21 382745-6 Website: www.maltatoday.com.mt E-mail: dailynews@mediatoday.com.mt 3 gozotoday | FRIDAY • 18 JULY 2025 NEWS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 The Mġarr-Ċirkewwa route remained the most popular route, handling 82.6% of total traffic. April was the busiest month, accounting for 549,469 passengers, or 34.5% of the quarter's total. Despite strong demand, the number of trips on this route slightly declined by 0.4% to 8,925. Meanwhile, the Mġarr-Valletta fast ferry service, limited to foot passengers, record- ed sharp growth. Trips increased by 15.3%, reaching 2,717, while passenger num- bers surged 32.7% to 335,770. May was the strongest month for this service, with 117,819 passengers. Weekly travel patterns highlighted signif- icant fluctuations in demand. The highest passenger flows from Ċirkewwa to Mġarr occurred on Fridays and Saturdays, while departures from Gozo peaked on Sundays and Mondays. Vehicle transport mirrored these trends, with weekend crossings be- ing consistently high. The Gozo Channel fleet, comprising vessels such as MV Malita, MV Gaudos, and MV Ta' Pinu, operated at full capacity following scheduled maintenance earlier in the year. The fast ferry sector has been streamlined under a single operator, Gozo High Speed, following the merger of Gozo Fast Ferry and Virtu Ferries. Furthermore, the NSO figures suggest Gozo's connectivity is playing an increas- ingly critical role in regional economic ac- tivity. Mgarr-Cirkewwa remains most popular route, NSO says Passengers to and from Mgarr and Cirkewwa by day of the week Passengers and vehicles to and from Mgarr and Cirkewwa NGOs urge PM and Minister for Cultural Heritage to halt all nearby development CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 The Sta Verna area is consid- ered highly significant archae- ologically—predating even the Ġgantija Temples. According to Malta's Cultural Heritage Act (Chapter 445), all individu- als in Malta have a duty to pro- tect cultural heritage, includ- ing conserving, restoring, and intervening where necessary. The NGOs argue that this obli- gation is being ignored by both developers and authorities. Investigations only began af- ter residents discovered bones on-site and Flimkien għal Ambjent Aħjar filed a report with the Superintendence of Cultural Heritage (SCH). Pho- tos from the area show a pit filled with bones and others scattered on the site entrance. These remains were later ac- knowledged by the project's ar- chaeologist. The JB Arch Team, tasked with the site works, confirmed in an email dated 8 April 2023 that bones were found in three areas. A 3D model of the re- mains was created, but no anal- ysis had yet been conducted. They also reported a collapsed cave roof and referenced a pre- vious investigation. Despite this, NGOs report that development continues daily on several adjacent plots, including those tied to Plan- ning Authority application PA 05171/23, even though permits have not been issued. Plots 22A, 22B, 21A, 14, 15, and part of Plot 16, where the bone pit was found—are reportedly be- ing bulldozed without over- sight. There are also unconfirmed reports that additional re- mains, including another tomb, may have been found and not disclosed. The NGOs are demanding the immediate suspension of a permit for a nearby stable de- velopment, which they claim was approved based on a false land ownership declaration, the land in question is govern- ment-owned. They are also calling on the SCH to issue an Emergency Conservation Order and con- duct detailed studies of the en- tire area. "All dumped material must be recovered, and no further destruction allowed," they said, warning that bones, pottery, and cave structures are all un- der threat. "This is a clear case of heritage being lost before it is even properly understood."