File photo.
A warning by the environment minister that he may take over quarries which do not accept the dumping of building debris, as is in their licence conditions, drew a retort by the Developers Association, who said on Tuesday they owners should not be blamed for the current situation.
The warning was made by minister Jose' Herrera in a TVM interview last week after contractors said their work was grinding to a halt because they had nowehere to dispose of the debris.
In a statement, the Malta Developers Association said that most of the quarries are still being exploited to produce raw material for building purposes.
It said it strongly objected to the government’s intention to use the powers of a legal notice to expropriate active quarries.
"Building contractors have been cooperating with the authorities on the disposal of building waste and the MDA assures the minister that such cooperation has led to the problem of building waste being minimised as much as possible."
It urged the government to come up with a long-term solution and called for an urgent consultation meeting with Dr Herrera to discuss the issue.