Speaking at a press conference in Qala, Gozo, Alternattiva Demokratika Chairperson Dr Harry Vassallo said that the extraordinary damage caused to the landscape by hardstone quarries is an unforgivable extravagance. "It has been more than a decade since MEPA itself surveyed the situation in its Minerals Topic paper and made several valuable recommendations which have been allowed to blow away in the wind." Dr Vassallo said.
 "In the past 10 years a bad situation has been allowed to deteriorate with further extensive damage being done to our natural and heritage assets all of which could have been easily avoided." Dr Vassallo said. "All hardstone material required for concrete and roadmaking can be imported at lower costs if government got off its hands and removed the indirect taxation making such importation uneconomic." explained Dr Vassallo.
"The Qala hardstone quarries are a gigantic eyesore which could easily be rehabilitated to restore a significant stretch of Gozitan countryside to its pristine state. Instead of causing damage to the site and affecting a further stretch of countryside around its periphery this quarry area could be a fruitful agri-tourism centre providing jobs and profits for its workers and operators." Dr Vassallo continued.
"The Qala quarry is just one of very many such quarries all over the country which are a liability which could turn into a significant asset. Almost all hardstone quarries are located in superb countryside areas and all are candidates for rural development projects benefiting from EU funds aimed at creating income for residents and enterprises in rural areas." Dr Vassallo said.
"Not only are the quarries themselves a huge wasted resource, but the operators and their employees are also a vital resource to bring about positive change which remains unrecognised by the government." Dr Vassallo said. "If the government had the imagination to come up with a proposal, if it had the courage to make it and to seek authentic consultation with all stake holders, if it had the credibility to persuade them that it could be relied upon, what today is an ongoing environmental disaster can be turned into a source of income, employment, profit and also a project in which all Maltese and Gozitans can take pride." Dr Vassallo added.
"Instead the government participates in the corrosive symbiosis of politics and big money perpetuating the status quo, preventing escape for all concerned from the downward spiral of uglification, and loss of potential of our economy for the future." Dr Vassallo said. "As long as the two big parties continue to require millions of liri to fund their election campaigns, they will not allow such industries to restructure to their benefit and to the benefit of the whole country. What is needed is the ability to recognise our problems, to face them with courage and to have the conviction to transform them into opportunities. Simply carrying on as before already has no future." Dr Vassallo concluded.
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