Flimkien ghal Ambjent Ahjar

[KennethJ]

Yesterday at 10.45 am, a garage used to illegally manufacture fireworks in the middle of a residential area in Naxxar blew up. The blast flattened three residences and wrought considerable damage on other houses in the immediate vicinity. Miraculously, only two people died, Pawlu Camilleri who was inside the garage when the explosion occurred, and Sina Sammut, a mother of two young children.

Notwithstanding the horror of the aftermath, reminiscint of a World War Two bomb site, one can't help but notice that both media and authorities are handling the whole situation with kid gloves.

Notwithstanding the massive structural damage to the streetscape, the loss of life, the traumatised neighbours, and the mounting recovery expenses as the bomb disposal unit comb through the debris or rather the mine field of remaining unexploded petards - Notwithstanding all this, the message being sent out to the perpetrators is nothing more then a ticking off.

While the authorities are urging the public to call 119 to denounce any other illegal depots, firework enthusiasts who own such illegal manufacturing hide-outs are being asked to simply own up - without being penalised - and have their illegal ware removed to a safe deposit. If these enthusiasts do not heed this advise, the authority quoted by today's news bulletin on TVM, suggested a hefty fine be imposed on any discoveries thereafter.

No jail. Just a hefty fine.

Is it possible that the only way around this tragic problem is to offer the carrot? Cannot festa organisers be bound to order their fireworks through a central committee which will then delegate delivery, and cannot such a committee and all manufacturers be audited down to the last gram of explosive traded, point of origin, and import?