The Role of the Maintenance Monitoring Unit within the Maintenance Directorate:

In view of the necessity to reduce shabbiness around the Maltese Islands, the Ministry for Resources and Rural Affairs felt that the primary task to be undertaken by the Maintenance Directorate within the Project Design & Implementation Department was to provide to the general public and tourists alike a better environment to live in. In order to meet such requirements, the Project Design & Implementation Department formed a Maintenance Unit to meet such tasks.

The main objectives of the Maintenance Monitoring Unit are outlined below:

·  identification of maintenance works needed and listing them as tasks;

·  classification of these tasks and assessing priorities;

·  channelisation of tasks according to entity and type of work envisaged for their actual execution;

·  monitoring the execution of rapid intervention maintenance works which fall under the direct responsibility of this unit and also other works which fall under the responsibility of the various maintenance teams within the Maintenance Directorate and other entities;

·  preparation of follow-up reports on the various tasks undertaken or channeled to other entities.

Meeting the general public’s needs is a duty and to meet these requirements is a must. Continuous improvement can be achieved by the investment of the unit in its employees thus providing the necessary training and carrying out periodical audits. Though the setting up of a Maintenance Monitoring Unit does not alter current practices in substance, it arranges these activities in a planned and systematic manner.

During these past months, works were carried out in a variety of localities throughout the whole of the Maltese islands, ranging from Triq Misrah Suffara in Rabat to Triq l-Assedju l-Kbir in Valletta, from Triq l-Imdina in Zebbug to Triq ix-Xatt at Marsascala, from Triq il-Kunsill ta' l-Ewropa at Luqa to Triq il-Gublew tal-Fidda at Cospicua.

Works were varied, ranging from construction of walls, repairs to paving and kerbs, patching works on both pavements and road surfaces, and repairs of fences and rubble walls.

Hereunder is a pictorial selection of works recently carried out: