Farmers affected by Central Link project may receive land as compensation

Farmers affected by the Central Link project and other similar projects may receive agricultural land in compensation for the land they lose as part of such infrastructural projects, Parliamentary Secretary for Agriculture, Fisheries and Animal Rights Clint Camilleri told The Malta Independent yesterday.

Such compensation will be decided during discussions between Camilleri’s secretariat and the secretariat responsible for land, Camilleri said.

Asked by this newsroom what his secretariat was doing to protect farmers who may be affected by projects such as the Central Link project, he said that projects like these are “indispensable to the country” and that certain decisions have to be taken for the infrastructural system of the country to continue moving forward.

“We would be making a mistake if we do like others and leave plans untouched for many years at the detriment of the progress of the infrastructure in Malta,” Camilleri said.

Camilleri also stated that the government is in the final stages of introducing new laws and regulations that will permit the transfer of agricultural land between one farmer and another, along with applications that can be done on the part of the farmers with the Lands Department.

Attard Local Council calls for holistic approach to transportation

Responding to the words of Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Capital Projects Ian Borg, who said that the Attard Local Council had not taken a stand on the project, the Council said that it was continuously studying the Central Link and that it will take an official position when it deems appropriate, and if necessary it will take a vote on the project which will take into account all the different ideas and voices on the council.

In an official press release, the council said that it was examining the strategy on transport and other government documents, believing that transportation should be looked at “holistically and not just from the perspective of road construction”.

The Council also called upon the government and Borg to publish all the information about the project and the government’s vision for a sustainable traffic management system.