Lane missing on Sinamalé Bridge, no one to take responsibility?

The issue of a missing lane on the Sinamalé Bridge has made the spotlight.

The issue came into the spotlight after Speaker of the People’s Majlis, Abdul Raheem Abdulla went into the details of the bridge construction project, in an interview with a local media outlet.

At the time the bridge was unveiled, the then-opposition had pointed out that some lanes were missing.

However, nobody paid heed to the claims.

Once again, the issue has come to the surface.

The speaker’s speech brought the issue of the missing lane on the bridge worth USD 300 million, to the surface on Wednesday night and has paved the path for serious questions on who should be held responsible for this big issue.

Speaking to SanguTV, Abdul Raheem highlighted that then-president Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom had given an earful to the then-housing minister, Muizzu, over the issue of a missing lane on the China-Maldives Friendship Bridge.

Abdul Raheem stated that back then, the then-ruling Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) office was located at Sakeena Manzil and that several cabinet ministers and senior party officials were present when Yameen lashed out at Muizzu.

He quoted Yameen having said, that was the day he found out that a lane was missing from the bridge.

The speaker said that the incident took place during the days leading up to the presidential elections of 2018, when the Yameen administration was in the final preparations of unveiling the bridge.

According to Abdul Raheem, Muizzu was yelled at to the point of tears.

Records show that the then-housing minister, Dr. Muizzu had signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the construction stage of the Sinamalé bridge project.

During his visit to China after becoming president, he spoke to Chinese media regarding the way he handled the bridge project as well.

MOU signed for the Bridge Construction Stage, between Maldives and China - Photo by Ministry of Construction and Infrastructure

After divulging all the details about Yameen yelling at Muizzu until he cried, Abdul Raheem later pinned the blame on Yameen, while speaking at a press conference hosted by the ruling People’s National Congress (PNC) on Wednesday.

The speaker said Muizzu was not a member of the Economic and Youth Council (EYC, then Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs) during Yameen's five years in office and that the housing minister was only responsible of implementing the decisions made by the council.

Hence, Abdul Raheem asserted that it is neither the housing minister's responsibility nor is it the housing minister’s job to see if any lanes were missing.

The construction of the bridge, which began on 30 December 2015 during Yameen's tenure, was carried out by China Harbor Engineering Company and was inaugurated on 30 August 2018. During the whole process, Muizzu as the housing minister was in charge of ensuring the smooth operation of the project.

However, Abdul Raheem said that it was the president’s responsibility and not the housing minister’s, to keep up.

At a time reports of a missing lane on the bridge have made the spotlight, Minister Muththalib took to social media platform ‘X’ on Wednesday, confirming that there were a total of four lanes in the original design.

However, in an interview with TV Maldives on 8 September 2015 while he was serving as a deputy minister, Muththalib clarified that the bridge would also have a lane for bicycles and if needed, the concept could be changed in the future.

One day prior on 7 September 2015, the then-Vice President Ahmed Adeeb Abdul Ghafoor also highlighted that the bridge was designed to include a special lane for bicycles.

Then-Vice President Adeeb - Photo by President's Office

Speaking to press right after the signing ceremony to commence the physical work of the bridge construction on 9 July 2015, Dr. Muizzu had himself, stated that the 1.39-km-long and 20.3-metre-wide bridge would have two lanes for four-wheelers, two lanes for motorcycles, a lane for bicycles and another lane for pedestrians.

In reference to all these remarks made by Muizzu, Muththalib as well as other top officials of the Yameen administration, it is clear that the bridge was designed to have one more lane, which is entirely missing now that the bridge has been inaugurated and has been in use for over six years.

Unfortunately, there is no way to know who will be responsible or held accountable.

The biggest question now is, whether the then-housing minister who was in charge of the whole project, or the president who was above the housing minister, would be held responsible for this massive error.