
Following discussions with Perit Charles Buhagiar Chairman of
the Building Industry Consultative Council to tackle issues hindering the
quarry sector, GRTU this week met its members quarry owners.
GRTU heard
the many problems this sector has, which include:
- Inability to operate due to new rules even if they have a permit to
operate and they are paying for it
- Lack of clarity on which authority is responsible of the permitting of
quarries to operate
- Forcing quarries to bury prime materials at their own cost and with a
tight timeframe
- Exorbitant policies targeting quarries to address dust emissions, but
are they the only cause of such problems
- Environmental permitting: Very expensive and burdensome permitting
- Rock blasting: Quarry owners report they prefer the older system as it
was more efficient and polluted less
- Lack of a comprehensive guidance system on their operation
Quarry operators say
their work in the quarry business has become impossible. A committee was
nominated to accompany GRTU in discussions with Perit Buhagiar.